


Long Distance

by irrationalmoony, LadyAmina



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Agender Asexual Regulus, Asexual Peter, Established Friendship, Established Relationship, Eventual Jily - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Genderfluid Sirius, Long Distance Relationship, M/M, Marauders, Modern AU, Other, Smut, Trans Remus, University AU, jily, longfic, loving supportive relationship, text fic, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-10 08:58:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 34,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5579365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irrationalmoony/pseuds/irrationalmoony, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyAmina/pseuds/LadyAmina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter have been inseparable since practically their first day at Hogwarts boarding school.  So when Remus relocates to France for further schooling, they all agree that they're not going to let the distance stop them.  Enter the age of the mobile phone.<br/>WARNING: So much sap.  Oh god.  Just so much.  So much sap.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Week 1: Goodbye and Hello

**Author's Note:**

> We had a lot of fun writing this we hope you have fun reading it!
> 
> Italics is Remus  
> Bold is Sirius  
> Underline is Peter  
> Bold Italics is James  
> Standard is Regulus (or written scene)
> 
> The written portion of "TUESDAY" is particularly smutty, if that's something you'd rather avoid. The next few chapters will probably contain fewer written scenes and less smut.

 

FRIDAY

 

**(12:04)  Here’s what I want to know.  How have you gone this long in your ACTUAL ADULT LIFE without owning a mobile?**

**(12:04)  Also congratulations on your new phone**

**(12:04)  Also where are you what are you doing how is everything?**

**(12:05)  Also I really hope this is the right number.  It’s the one your mum gave me.**

_(13:06) Pretty sure you’ve got the wrong number, mate._

_(13:28) Really? You’d write all that to a stranger and then not even apologize for texting the wrong number?_

_(13:28) I thought you were better than that, Pads._

**(12:29)  You’re such a shite, Moony!  I had a formal apology all written out!**

_(13:30) Let’s hear it, then._

**(12:30)  No you don’t get to hear it, it’s not for you.**

**(12:30)  Hmph.**

**(12:31)  But how are things????  How is the broad?**

_(13:31) Rude._

_(13:32) It’s wonderful, there’s French people flirting with me on every corner._

**(12:33)  Stop seducing the natives**

**(12:33)  Weather?  Area?  Campus?  Roommate?**

_(13:34) A bit morbid, but it’s supposed to be sunny tomorrow. Pretty. Not too big. Not here yet._

**(12:36)  This is like pulling teeth, Remus.  What’s it like?  Two rooms adjoined?  Two beds one room?  Either way, you get to pick, right?  Choose wisely.**

_(13:36) Sorry._

_(13:36) Just a bit worried about the roommate._

_(13:37) Okay._

_(13:37) Okay._

_(13:41) One room, two beds. Not big, but big enough. We’ve got our own bathroom, but you know that already. One bed’s underneath a huge window facing the park, so obviously I’m picking that one. My desk chair looks terribly uncomfortable, I’ll have to do something about that. I haven’t unpacked yet, if you don’t count the kettle, I’m thinking I can just live out of the suitcases until I use up everything and run out of clean clothes. I passed about a dozen bakeries on my way from the train station and oh. My. God. The smells, Sirius, the smells. It was heaven. But! And I expect you to be extremely proud of me for this -  I didn’t step foot into a single one. And no, that had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I forgot to exchange my pounds for euros._

**(12:44)  I  have never been more worried about you.  You can’t just???  Live out of suitcases???  You live there now, put your damn jumpers in your damn wardrobe for the love of all that is holy.**

**(12:45)  I expect full critiques of every bakery item you sample**

_(13:45) But that’s so much effort! They’re fine in the cases, all folded up nicely. They can go into the wardrobe after I do laundry. It’s a good plan._

_(13:46) And yes to critiques._

**(12:47)  It’s not a good plan.  It’s not a plan at all.**

_(13:47) I think it’s a great not-plan._

**(12:47) You are wrong.**

_(13:48) You are mistaken._

_(13:48) I’m finished with my tea, so I’m gonna head out into the scary unknown and find a place that will switch my pieces of paper with different pieces of paper so I can buy half a bakery and die happy._

**(12:49)  Text me when you’re out of the food coma**

_(13:49) Might be a while._

_(13:53) Oh, and Pads?_

**(12:53) Yeah?**

_(13:53) I love you._

**(12:54)  I love you too, Moony**

 

**(17:10)  Are you actually in a coma?**

**(17:14)  It’s weird, you not being here.  I’m with Prongs and Wormy right now and our impulse control is somewhere in a French hospital on the verge of death by carbohydrate.**

 

_(19:07) I wasn’t, but my phone was._

_(19:07) I didn’t know the battery gets used up so fast??_

_(19:07) How often am I supposed to charge this thing_

_(19:08) Also, the roommate was here while I was gone._

_(19:08) His suitcases look posh._

**(18:11)  Oh theeere he is**

**(18:11)  Start by trying to charge it every night.  Usually my rule is: when you sleep, the phone sleeps, but I’m far too aware of all of the impromptu sleeping you do and I know there’s no way that phone is making it to a charger before you pass out most of the time.**

**(18:11)  Roommate sounds like an arse.  But you love posh, don’t you?  Definitely antagonize the posh out of him as quickly as possible.**

_(19:13) Need I remind you how posh your stuff was when we started school?_

**(18:13) Thus: you love posh.**

_(19:13) Thus: you’re an arse too._

**(18:14)  Takes one to know one and all that**

_(19:14) Yeah, yeah. So what have you lot been up to?_

**(18:16)  I want to tell you all about our uninhibited adventures, but if I’m being honest, we’ve just been moving Pete into his new dorm**

_(19:17) Oh, of course you help Pete move, but not me. I see how it is._

**(18:17)  UM??  Peter???  Did not leave me??? For baked goods and French people????**

_(19:18) Obviously he doesn’t have his priorities straight._

**(18:19)  And what the hell would you know about straight?**

_(19:19) You’re one to talk._

**(18:20)  Very true.**

**(18:20)  I miss you**

_(19:24) I miss you too._

**(18:25) When do classes start?**

_(19:25) Wednesday._

**(18:26) What sort of mischief can you get up to before then?**

**(18:26) And your answer is not allowed to be anything bakery related.**

_(19:27) I was thinking tomorrow morning I’d go to the library and then find a tree._

**(18:28)  Find a tree?**

**(18:28)  Is there a shortage?**

_(19:28) Where else am I supposed to sit and read if not under a tree?_

**(18:30)  Idunno, someplace normal??**

**(18:30)  You adorable nerd.**

**(18:31)  And do we need to have another conversation about what qualifies as mischief?**

_(19:31) Breaking into the lecture hall in the middle of the night and covering the floor with hundreds of glasses of water?_

**(18:32)  Yes that, do that**

_(19:32) Pass._

**(18:33)  It was your idea!!**

_(19:33) Can’t do it alone._

**(18:35)  Yeah, guess not**

_(19:38) Remind me why I’m here again?_

**(18:41)  Because you’re too smart to stay here and let us slow you down.  Because your absolute ideal school sought** **you out, you didn’t even have to TRY to get in.  Because you and your jumpers and your living out of suitcases need some goddamn culture.  Because it’s exciting and it’s a good experience and you’re going to love it.**

_(19:43) And the bread’s better here._

**(18:43) Then I look forward to visiting.  For the bread.**

_(19:43) For me._

**(18:44) Of course for you.**

_(19:44) Promise you’ll visit?_

**(18:45) I solemnly swear it.**

_(19:45) I’ll hold you to it._

**(18:46) We're off into the world of limited phone service to scavenge for food.  In exchange for money.  I'll talk to you soon, yeah?**

_(19:47) Okay. Find something unhealthy and delicious and eat it in my honour._

 

_(21:18) Um._

_(21:18) We need to talk._

_(21:18) Call me when you get this._

 

_(21:46) It’s nothing bad._

_(21:46) I think._

_(21:46) That’s not helpful, is it?_

_(21:47) Just_

_(21:47) I’m okay, nothing to panic about._

 

_(22:58) Surely you’re full by now._

_(22:58) Or did you just walk around for hours and fight about which place to eat at again?_

_(22:59) Probably ended up just getting chips from round the corner, didn’t you?_

 

_(23:37) I’m trying really hard not to fall asleep here._

 

_(23:48) Call me in the morning?_

_(23:48) I love you._

 

_(23:56) Don’t worry._

 

**(23:40) don't worry?**

**(23:40) don't worry.**

**(23:40) you send me “we need to talk" and my heart is in my toes somewhere, but I should just**

**(23:40) not worry.**

**(23:41) we only just got back I'm so sorry.  I'm so so sorry.**

**(23:41) Remus I'm staying up until you wake up and tell me what's wrong.**

**(23:42) the volume is all the way up.  Text me or call me or**

**(23:42) well just text me or call me.**

 

**(2:21) I'm still up waiting for your call.**

 

**(4:06) still upp**

 

SATURDAY

 

_(7:11) I’m okay._

_(7:11) Did you not get that part where I said I was okay? And to NOT worry?_

**(6:15) got it.  Received it.  Willfully ignored it.  What happened?**

_(7:16) Are you the only one up?_

_(7:16) I’m not telling you shite if I don’t know there’s someone there to calm you down._

**(6:16) Remus you are not making this better**

**(6:16) James is right here if I need him**

**(6:17) You're scaring me and I need you to tell me what's wrong like now.**

_(7:17) Reg’s my roommate._

**(6:19) Pardon?**

_(7:20) I went to take a shower after you’d gone to get food and when I came out, my roommate was sitting on their bed and I said hi and they turned around and it was Reg._

_(7:20) Reg’s my roommate._

_(7:25) Sirius?_

**(6:29) I'm here.**

_(7:29) They were just as surprised to see me as I was to see them._

**(6:30) I'm trying really hard**

**(6:30) to wrap my head around this.**

**(6:30) they?**

_(7:31) Is their preferred pronoun._

_(7:31) Look, they want to explain everything themself, if you’ll let them._

_(7:32) I told them I’m not giving them your number until you say it’s okay._

**(6:32) No.**

**(6:32) what**

**(6:32) okay.  When can you request a transfer?**

_(7:34) I’m not going to._

**(6:34) Remus.**

_(7:34) No._

**(6:34) Remus.**

_(7:36) No. Listen to me. I’m giving it a week. I’m not going to make quick judgments and snap decisions. Everything is new and I’ve no one here, and I don’t need more things changing. I like my room and I’ve put my bloody jumpers in the bloody wardrobe while I was waiting for you and I’m not moving them again. We’ve talked about it. We’re giving it a week. If it won’t work, they’re the one who’s leaving; they offered to right away._

_(7:38) It’s not all bad. They know about me already, so at least I don’t have to have that conversation._

_(7:42) Sirius?_

_(7:45) I know how it sounds, but they’ve changed._

**(6:47) How can you say that?  How can you call it “quick judgement” after everything**

**(6:47) After the hell I was put through**

**(6:47) I tried, I tried so hard**

**(6:47) You know I did**

**(6:47) You were fucking there with me through all of it**

**(6:48) If they’re so ready for a fresh start how come they had to run into you to bother to mention it???**

_(7:49) Whatever I say now is gonna sound like I’m defending them, so I won’t, because I’m not. I’m on your side. And that’s why I’m prepared to give them a chance, because I’m on your side, and I know how hard you tried, and I’m sorry they didn’t come around sooner, but it’s not too late if you still want what you used to, and I think you do._

**(6:51) I want to talk to you.**

 

_[7:51 calling: Padfoot]_

 

**“Hi.”**

_“Hi.”_

**“G’morning.”**

_“Did you sleep at all?”_

**“A minute maybe.”**

_“I’m sorry. I should’ve waited up, I was just so tired.”_

**“What?  No- no, I’m not upset that you fell asleep.  I’m positive you needed it.”**

_“Yeah… Tell me what you’re thinking?”_

**“I’ve no idea what to think.  I’m confused.  I’m not...** **_not_ ** **angry.  Mostly scared.”**

_“Do you want me to leave?  If you want me to leave, I will, they’re your br- sibling, I’m not g-”_

**“No, I don’t want you to- look, Remus, I’m worried.  I have to be.  I can’t just know the kinds of people they associate with and be happy about you living with them.  It’s an entirely separate issue from my own issues with them.”**

_“They’re done with that.”_

**“Are you kid- wasn't the entire point that there ‘was no way out’?”**

_“They got out.”_

**“...Why is this so easy for you?”**

_“Why is this so easy for me? Sirius, I- none of this is easy for me. I was worrying all day about my roommate turning out to be some bigoted arse, and then I come out of the bathroom and find something even worse - a bigoted arse who knows me, a bigoted arse I know, an arse who has hurt the person I love more than anything in the world countless times. And I wanted to yell at them, but I was too scared and confused to find words; I wanted to get away, but I had nowhere to go; I wanted to talk to you and tell you and make sense of what was going on, because I just didn’t understand. And, and then they were explaining things about how they’ve left everything, and how they’ve changed, and how they’ve been trying to reach you this past year, and I didn’t want to listen, because all I could think about was you and how much pain they’ve caused you. But then I made the fucking mistake of looking them in the eyes, and suddenly I couldn’t not listen, because they’re too similar to yours, and maybe I’m the biggest idiot there ever was for believing them, and naive for wanting to give them a second chance, but that’s who I am, an idiot who wants to believe that people can change for the better. I’m not saying I trust them, or that you should, I just. I just want to give them a chance.”_

**“Remus, Remus,”**

_“I also slept on it.”_

**“Remus.”**

_“Yeah.”_

**“You’re not an idiot.”**

_“No?”_

**“No.  I need time to sit with this.  But you’re not an idiot.”**

_“Okay.”_

**“I love how you see things.  Even this.  It’s just- It’s a lot.”**

_“I know.”_

**“They tried to contact me?”**

_“Since last summer.”_  
  
**“Oh.”**

_“Yeah. First they couldn’t reach you because, well, we left right after graduation, didn’t we. And then it was next summer and they came here.”_

**“Oh.  H-how- Do they seem alright?”**

_“I think they’re doing okay.”_

**“Good.  Good.  Alright.”**

_“You should get some sleep.”_

**“Yeah.  Unlikely but yeah.  Thanks for letting me hear your voice, though.”**

_“Anytime, love.”_

**“Say it again?”**

_“Sleep, love.”_

**“Thank you.  One more thing?”**

_“Mhm?”_

**“My eyes are prettier, right?”**

_“Your eyes are the prettiest.”_

**“Okay.  Thank you.”**

_“Text me when you wake up.”_

**“Mmhm”**

_“I love you.”_

**“Love you, too.”**

_“...”_

**“...”**

_“...”_

**“Can you stay on until I fall asleep?”**

_“That is what I’m doing.”_

**“Thankyou”**

_“You’re welcome.”_

 

_[9:16 call disconnected]_

 

**(11:28) Moonbeam!**

_(12:28) Three hours isn’t enough, go back to sleep._

**(11:29) Oh I wasn't sleeping that whole time**

**(11:29) I've been working through all of this with James for the last hour.**

_(12:30) Of course you have._

_(12:30) Conclusion?_

**(11:31) We've made a written list of the things I would like to address before this can be okay in any manner.**

_(12:32) Okay, what’s number one?_

**(11:33) 1. How are they?**

**(11:33) we're starting off slow.**

_(12:34) They’re good. Still sleeping when I left._

**(11:35) 2. I need to know the specifics of “out".  There are a lot of things I need to know but first I need to know you're safe and you rooming with a member of a dangerous gang is not okay with me, I don't care who they are.**

_(12:37) I don’t know the specifics. I just know that they got some dirt on that guy, and somehow managed to make a deal to let them go if they keep their mouth shut. And since their parents are still financing half of all the shite the gang does, they apparently don’t wanna risk hurting Reg._

_(12:38) They got the tattoo removed, too._

**(11:40) They did?**

_(12:40) They did._

_(12:41) They said it hurt like hell._

_(12:41) I said good._

**(11:41) Good.  To it hurting and to you saying it.**

**(11:42) 3. What level of communication do they still have with Them?**

_(12:42) The same level you have, from what I could tell._

**(11:43) Oh**

_(12:45) 4.?_

**(11:46) 4. What have they**

**(11:46) fuck this**

**(11:46) I want to talk to them.**

_(12:47) I don't have their number_

_(12:47) Just let me check out these books and I’ll go back to the dorm, alright?_

**(11:48) Oh don't leave the library on my account.  I know how badly you need to sit and photosynthesize amongst the literature.**

_(12:49) Oh shut up_

_(12:49) I’ll have them text you._

**(11:50) I want to hear about you.  What have you been doing?  Where have you managed to visit?  What bakery did you demolish?**

_(12:53) Well, after you fell asleep I got dressed and went to look around campus a bit; didn’t really feel like doing any of the touristy stuff. I might have demolished two bakeries because they started to give me weird looks in the first one after my fourth croissant. And then I found the library, which is just. So, so gorgeous. So. Very. Gorgeous._

_(12:54) I’m pretty sure the librarian hates me though, because I kept checking my phone in case you’d wake up_

**(11:54) You astound me.**

**(11:55) And that wouldn't be the first time I've turned a librarian against you.**

_(12:55) I thought we agreed never to speak of that again._

**(11:56) You brought it up!**

_(12:56) I did not!_

**(11:57) You definitely did**

_(12:57) I most certainly did not._

**(11:58) You brought up libraries!**

_(12:58) You’re impossible._

**(11:58) impossible to get enough of.**

_(12:59) Um_

_(12:59) I’m your boyfriend_

_(12:59) And I left the country_

_(12:59) Soooo_

**(12:01) Well hell**

**(12:01) Rude and uncalled for**

_(13:01) Just sayin_

**(12:02) I'm wounded**

_(13:02) Call an ambulance._

**(12:03) Moony!!!**

_(13:03) Padfoot._

**(12:04) James and Pete refuse to call me an ambulance**

**(12:04) I have no allies**

_(13:05) I’m back in the dorm._

_(13:06) Are you okay with me giving them your number, or should I just have them call you from my phone?_

**(12:06) Oh**

_(13:07) Or I can ask for their number and you can call them whenever you’re ready._

**(12:07) No.**

**(12:07) I don't want to wait for them to pick up.**

**(12:08) Give them mine.**

_(13:08) Alright._

**(12:08) Thank you**

_(13:09) I’ll um_

_(13:09) Leave the room._

_(13:09) Call me after?_

**(12:10) yeah of course**

_(13:10) I love you. Good luck._

 

***

 

[13:12 calling: Sirius]

 

**“...”**

“Didn’t quite believe you’d pick up.”

**“I didn’t actually think you’d call.”**

“Remus said you wanted to talk.”

**“I did. I do.  I… have a list…”**

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I-”

**“Don’t.”**

“I- okay.”

**“Too much to be sorry for.  For both of us.  Let’s just… go from here.”**

“Okay… So. List?”

“ **Sod the list, it’s a stupid list.”**  
**  
** “...”

**“...”**

“You travelled for an entire year?”

**“Yeah.  Yeah, after school, James, Remus, Peter and I all took a year to just… I dunno, we just existed in different places.”**

“And now?”

**“Now I’m back at school.  Architectural design.  But what about you?  I-  How have you been?  I’ve no idea what you’ve been up to.”**

“I’ve. I’ve been alright. I left. After what they did at your graduation, I left, and spent the summer at Andromeda’s, and then after Hogwarts I just. Came here. Knew I’d be coming here in the fall anyway, so I figured why wait. Had no reason to stay.”

**“Wish I’d known.”**

“Tried to reach you, but when there was no reply, I thought you wanted me to just leave you alone, which, you know, fair. So I stopped after a while. Didn’t know you were away.”

 **“Yeah- No. No, shite, no, I can’t do it.   ‘Tried’ isn’t good enough.  Not after everything.   I ‘tried’ too, I tried so hard to take you with me but you wouldn’t- and after all of that, just nothing?  You ‘tried’ a bit and you were just going to let me go through the rest of my life and not bother to let me know you were okay and not dead?  Or worse? ‘Nah, Sirius didn’t answer the telephone a bunch of times, she must just want to live and let live”?  You were just going to let it go?  Because I for one could never.  If I recall correctly - and it’s burned pretty fucking clearly into my memory, thank you very much - I** **_didn’t_ ** **give up on you quite so easy.  I didn’t give up on you until hearing you politely tell me to fuck off was etched into me like a bad fucking tattoo and I heard it in my sleep and I still hear it in my sleep.  So no.  “I tried to reach you” doesn’t really do it for me.  If Remus hadn’t shown up in your life were you just going to leave it be?”**

“N-no I- I don't know, I just wanted to give you some time. I'm sorry, I don’t- I know I fucked up, okay, I know, I regret it every single day, and I know I don’t deserve shite, and you definitely don’t owe me anything, but please can you, can you let me be in your life, please? On whatever terms you want, just. Please.”

 **“... You're really out?  Really, really?  Remus said you got the** **_thing_ ** **removed.  There's no chance of you going back to all that?”**

“I'm out. Completely out, I promise. Been for over a year, never going back, I. I'd honestly rather die.”

**“Then yes I want you to be in my life, you git.  Isn't that the point?”**

“I get it if you want me to stay away from Remus, I can find another dorm.”

**“Well, you could also not do that.”**

“Okay. Only if he’ll want me to, then.”

**“He doesn’t.  We've discussed it.  Obviously you still need to talk about it with him.  But the thing is, if you're going to be in my life, you're going to be in Remus's anyway.  Remus is a big part of- Remus is most of the- he's all the parts of my life.  I'd threaten the fear of the gods into any roommate he may have had.  Just hoping I don't need to with you.”**

“You don’t. Can though, if you want to, I know you’ve always loved giving big, dramatic speeches.”

**“Oh yeah, sure, I'M dramatic.  You'd ‘rather die’, but I'M dramatic.  Uh huh.”**

“I really would though. It’s. It’s so fucked up and I hate it, I’ve always hated it, but I was too scared and too stupid and... and not strong enough. I never wanted- I never thought it would go that far.”

**“I gave you every out, Reg.  I tried everything.  You put yourself in that far.  But I think you know it and I know it's not as easy as all that.  Sorry.  I've waited a really long time to yell at you.”**

“I really am sorry, you know. For all of it.”

**“I know that, too.  And so am I.”**

“So if I call you again, you’ll answer?”

**“Almost certainly.”**

“Okay. Thank you.”

**“You will call again, yeah?”**

“Yes.”

**“Alright.  Er, enjoy settling into your new room.”**

“Yeah. Thanks. Talk to you soon.”

**“Yeah.  Take care.”**

 

**[12:32 call disconnected]**

 

***

 

**(12:33) That just happened.**

_(13:33) You okay?_

_(13:33) How was it?_

**(12:34) I did that.  I talked to Regulus.**

_(13:34) You did._

**(12:35) and they talked to me**

_(13:35) They did._

_(13:35) Are you gonna talk again?_

_(13:36) I went back inside and they’re just staring at a wall taking deep breaths and shaking a bit._

**(12:36) uhh**

**(12:36) kinda same**

**(12:37) not quite the same.**

**(12:37) because I'm also texting you.**

_(13:38) Is James around?_

**(12:39) sent him and Pete out to pick up food.**

_(13:39) That’s gonna take forever._

_(13:41) I hate that I’m not there._

**(12:44) yeah.  Me too.**

_(13:44) I could be._

**(12:45) could not.**

_(13:45) There’s a train in thirty minutes._

**(12:50) you're not spending good bakery money on a train ticket to come visit me the day after you've left.**

_(13:50) Why not_

**(12:52) because we need to get used to this.**

_(13:52) Fuck that_

_(13:53) We said we’d visit_

_(13:53) We agreed not to pretend to be strong for the other’s sake_

_(13:53) And this isn’t ‘just’ a bad day, it’s a big deal_

_(13:54) Let me come._

**(12:54) No.**

_(13:54) Sirius, please._

**(12:54) let me.**

_(13:57) Are you sure?_

**(12:57) yeah**

**(12:58) I want to see you and I want to see your place and I want to scowl at the flirtatious French people**

**(12:59) And in any case, my classes start after yours.**

_(14:00) I’ll meet you at the station._

**(13:06) I'm on the one in less than an hour.  Do I need to pack anything?  Mobile charger, tooth brush, purse, anything else?**

_(14:07) Clothes_

**(13:07) I mean, do I though?  I saw you pack enough jumpers to clothe a small and very comfortable army.**

_(14:08) An army of one._

_(14:08) I plan on doing laundry approximately once a month, and if you dirty up half of my jumpers, that plan will be ruined. Can’t have that._

**(13:09) Are you kidding me right now?**

**(13:09) Fine, I'll pack clothes.  Now this is a whole project and I need an extra bag and it's just so much effort**

_(14:09) Pads._

_(14:10) You don’t need clothes._

**(13:11) Moony, you're not allowed to mess with me right now my brain isn't working there's too much everything going on.**

_(14:11) I’m sorry._

_(14:12) You don’t need clothes, or anything else._

_(14:12) Maybe something to read on the train, if you think you’ll be able to do that._

_(14:12) Try not to stress, yeah? Remember to breathe._

**(13:13) nope**

**(13:13) was preparing myself for at least a month and now I get to see you in four hours**

**(13:14) I'll just breathe when I get there.**

_(14:14) Breathe now, kiss me when you get here._

**(13:15) okay**

_(14:15) Good._

_(14:17) Do me a favour?_

**(13:17) anything.**

_(14:18) Don’t sit by a window._

_(14:19) Resist the temptation, for once in your life. You always get sick, this time is not gonna be any different. I know you’ll think it’s different, but it won’t be. And you have enough on your mind already, you don’t need the extra panic of finding a bag to puke in._

**(13:20) ugggghhhh fine fine fine fine fine.  I'll suffer through an aisle seat.  A gross aisle seat where I'll be trapped and unable to see daylight.  And all I'll be able to smell is the food breath of the sweaty guy next to me.  I'll just stare at the back of a headrest for three hours.**

_(14:21) Thank you. Glad to see you be so reasonable about it._

**(13:22) Hmph.**

_(14:22) No need to pout._

**(13:23) not pouting.**

_(14:23) You are and I bet it’s really cute._

**(13:24) Well I can't argue with that, I'm adorable**

_(14:24) Don’t forget pretty._

**(13:25) Yes, but that's a given, isn't it?**

_(14:25) Stop looking at yourself in the mirror and go catch the train._

**(13:26) Oh**

**(13:26) okay okay, I'm going**

_(14:26) You look great. Prettiest girl on the block._

**(13:27) just the block?**

_(14:27) *in the world._

**(13:29) much better, thank you, Pumpkin.**

_(14:29) Hmph._

**(13:30) I'm going now or I'll miss it, I love you and I'll see you very soon.**

_(14:30) I love you too. Try getting some sleep on the train._

 

_(17:45) Waiting under the big clock._

_(17:47) I’m the one in the blue cardigan, in case you’ve forgotten what I look like in our long time apart._

_(17:53) Shite, I see you_

_(17:53) Fuck you look good_

 

_***_

Sirius’s body registered the sight of Remus before his mind did.  Her heart leapt and her skin tingled before she was fully cognizant of the familiar curls and dark blue cardigan.  It was a favourite article of her’s and he knew it.  Soft enough to rest her cheek on, warm enough for Remus to wear on the regular.

She wasn’t sure at what point precisely she began running, but she was picking up speed as she came closer to him and a heart shattering smile broke over his face.  When she jumped into his arms, he caught her with barely a backward stumble.  He held her impossibly tight against him for several moments.

“Missed you,” He murmured, nose buried in her hair.

“It’s only been a day,” She tried for lighthearted, but the lump in her throat betrayed her.  “I missed you, too.”

“I think I recall you saying something about you kissing me when you got here?”  Remus drew his cheek along her’s, but before he could pull away far enough to look her in the eyes her lips were pressed against his and nothing else was particularly important.

People moved around them and it didn’t matter because Sirius’s arms were around Remus’s neck and he was holding her waist like she’d float away if he let go.

“Welcome to Paris, love.” He whispered so close his lips brushed her’s.  He kissed them again for good measure before letting go of her waist and taking her hand in his instead.  It felt so unbelievably good to be back with him.  Sirius knew it had been a matter of hours since she’d last seen him but she’d been mentally prepared for much much longer, and that preparation alone was enough to make the distance painful and raw.

They spent the late afternoon walking around with no particular destination.  They strolled up and down streets and stopped in shops Remus wanted to browse but was uneasy about walking into on his own and ate at a small restaurant that smelled delicious from two blocks away.  

Sirius hadn’t been to France since she was small.  She was more than a little worried that being there would kick up old horrible feelings, but walking the streets so close to Remus she was nearly under his arm, fingers laced together at their sides, was so relaxing she couldn’t feel anything but a dull, almost pleasant nostalgia.

More than anything else they did, they talked.  On and on about everything and nothing - from the original trip there Remus had neglected to tell Sirius about to the way the trees looked a little different along this street and that one.  It wasn’t that they had terribly much to catch up on, this was just how most evenings went when it was just the two of them.

It wasn’t until after dinner when they started moseying along in the direction of Remus’s campus that Sirius had to stop in her tracks.

“Wait?” Remus had kept walking, but the pull of her hand made him spin around to see her hesitation.

“Is everything alright?” He asked and pulled her off to the side of the road.  

She blinked down at the street, lit by the yellow, incandescent glow of the street lamp.  “Remus I can’t do this.  I can’t talk to them yet- I can’t look them in the eye.  Not yet.” Her breaths were growing shallow and frantic and the stones in the street were starting to dance in her vision.  “I’m not ready.  I’m not ready.”

Two soothing hands found her hips and a very warm, very comforting cheek rested against her own, which suddenly felt cold and clammy.  “They’re not there, love.  Breathe for me.”

She closed her eyes and let his heat soak into her skin.  “What do you mean they’re not?”

“I mean I talked to them about it earlier and they’re spending the night someplace local but off campus.  I don’t think they were ready for a confrontation either, to be honest.  The dormitory is ours tonight.  Is that okay?”  Remus’s voice was low and she felt the vibration of it while she listened to his calming words.

“Yyes, that’s okay.” She didn’t open her eyes but her breathing began to even out.  At least it wasn’t painful.  “Thank you.”

Remus shrugged and made no move to continue on their previous path.  “Not   much to thank me for.  It’s what was reasonable for everyone involved, really.”

Sirius turned her head to kiss Remus’s cheek, their unspoken signal that the moment had passed.  “The idea of you talking to Regulus.. Having a conversation with them… That’s just too odd.”

Remus let her lead the way back onto the lane.  “Well, it happens now.  I’ve talked to them a few times.  Not a hell of alot, but more than I ever expected to.”

Talking about Reg with Remus was surprisingly easier than she thought it would be.  They discussed the strangeness of the situation all the way back to Remus’s building.  It wasn’t terribly large, as the campus was on the smaller side of universities.  But walking through the halls of a place Remus was going to grow to call home without her was verging on uncomfortable.  She was quiet by the time they reached his room.  

Even if Sirius hadn’t known who Remus’s roommate was, and if he hadn’t already told her which bed he’d chosen, she still would have known which side of the room belonged to her boyfriend.  He hadn’t lied, all of his clothes were out of the cases, but those cases were still haphazardly shoved up against the wall.  The drawers in his wardrobe weren’t shut all the way for interference of stray shirt sleeves and sock tips.  His laptop was sat neatly on the desk, but all of the dorm supplies he’d gone with were scattered around it or under it.

Sirius flopped onto his bed and picked up an undershirt from the middle of the duvet.  Instead of tossing it aside she brought it up against her chest.  The bed didn’t smell like Remus quite yet.  But the shirt did.  She kicked off her boots - she, unlike Remus, would put them someplace proper later - and shrugged off her jacket to toss it onto the desk chair.  

She waited for Remus impatiently.  When she looked up she found his eyes first.  He was standing with his shoulder against the door looking down at her with an unreadable expression.

“What?” She asked when he didn’t offer an explanation of his own.

“Budge over,” He nodded at her and she did as requested, pressing herself up against the wall.  He, too, kicked out of his shoes and slid into bed beside her.  Soon enough they were lying nose to nose, chest to chest, still-clothed legs entwined.  The bed was very small but Sirius couldn’t find it in herself to complain if it meant that Remus _had_ to press his long body this close to hers.  “I think it feels real, now.”

Sirius brought her fingers up to trace the lines of Remus’s nose and lips.  “What feels real?”

He kissed the pad of her index finger.  “Being here.  This place.  This room.  My bed didn’t quite feel real until I could see you lying in it.”

She replaced her fingers with her lips and kissed him languidly, in no hurry.

“Seeing where you are and where you’ll be feels a bit better,” She admitted.

“Good,” He kissed her again.  “Now, do you want to talk about why you came all this way?”

She raised an eyebrow and shifted in his arms.  “I thought we had.  We talked about them a whole bunch.”

“We talked about them and _me_ a whole bunch.  We didn’t discuss what this means for you.”

“I dunno what it means for me,” Six hours ago she had wanted so badly to be with Remus just like this, talking about exactly this.  Now she wanted to be talking about anything else in the world.  “I’m still not sure what to expect, even after talking to them.”

“They seem like a really decent person, if that helps.  Not at all like I remember them from school.  Though, I suppose that had more to do with the company they kept than their personal character,” Remus offered.

Sirius nodded.  “Helps a bit.  This would all have been easier if they’d turned out to be an enormous arsehole, though.”

“Would’ve been easier if they hadn’t turned up at all,” Remus corrected her.

Sirius heaved a sigh and turned onto her back, with some measure of difficulty.  Somehow she didn’t mind being squashed against the wall, though.  Remus brought one of his legs up over both of hers.  “I’m scared of letting them into my life and being betrayed again.  I’m worried about whatever it means that they’re out of that syndicat thing now.  But the bad feelings are going away and that’s most of what’s bothering me.  I’m just so relieved they’re okay, and I want to be their sibling again so bad.  I’m afraid I want those things so badly that I won’t see it coming if they do stuff up.”

Remus nodded along with her words.  “Well, I don’t think any of that is unreasonable, but I also don’t think it’s avoidable.  So the real question is, are you willing to take the risk and let them into your life again?”

Sirius didn’t answer right away.  Her chest hurt and her throat burned and her eyes watered, but she sat in silent contemplation for a long time.

“I have to.  The alternative is to shut them out the way they shut me out years ago - worse, even, because I don’t have a solidly valid excuse for it.  I won’t do that to them.”

“This isn’t just about them, you know.”  
  
“I won’t do it to me either.”

“Better.”

Sirius chewed her bottom lip for awhile in the serene silence of the room.  The only sounds were the thrum of a bass several dorms away and Remus’s long, even breaths.  Steady, whole breaths that meant he was falling asleep.  Sirius turned back onto her side.

“Moony,” She prodded his shoulder.  “Moony, don’t fall asleep.” She kissed his lips.

His eyes blinked open.  “Why?”

“Pjs, please.” Remus retorted with a disgruntled whine.  “Moons, you can’t sleep in this.” She plucked at the layers of clothing on his shoulder.  “And I can’t sleep in jeans.  I’ll feel gross for the rest of eternity.”

“Can’t have that,” he mumbled lazily but rolled out of the bed to undress.

Sirius wriggled out of her denims and band-t and turned the desk chair into a makeshift hamper.  Remus tossed his trousers, jumper and under shirt at her as he peeled them off.  Sirius in turn threw them at the chair.

“Let me?” She asked when he was down to the last vestiges of cloth covering his body.

“Please.  It’s a pain in the arse on my own.” He huffed and held his arms out.

“That’s because you refuse to lift at the sides first like I keep telling you.  Look,” She plucked Remus’s binder up under the arms so that it shifted several inches up his torso.  Once it was properly unsettled, she pulled it easily over his head.  “How difficult can that be?”

“Apparently, very,” He rubbed at his bare breasts and yawned widely.

“You’re ridiculous.  Where do you keep the pyjamas?”

“I’ve got them,” Remus walked over to his dresser and plucked out an oversized Queens shirt for Sirius and a set of flannel pyjamas for himself.

“Your body temperature is a medical marvel,” Sirius shook her head.  Once Remus was again clothed, and the lights had been turned off, she pulled him back onto the bed and tangled her limbs in his.  

She kissed him goodnight and he was asleep before she pulled away.  “Goodnight, my Moony,” She whispered, and closed her eyes.

 

SUNDAY

 

(10:36) Are you two up?

(10:36) I forgot to take my toothbrush with me and I feel really gross.

(10:37) I’ll only be a sec, if she’s not ready to talk to me yet.

(10:37) Or I can just go buy a new one.

(10:37) Sorry, forget I said anything.

_(10:40) It’s okay, we’re up, you can come back. Sirius says he was just meaning to ask you to go get some brunch anyway._

(10:40) Brunch

(10:40) Brunch, that’s what he said?

_(10:41) Problem?_

(10:41) No! No, not at all. Sounds great. Be there in 10.

 

“Why would brunch be an exceptional thing?” Remus asked, looking up from his phone.  He was sitting on the counter in the bathroom while Sirius finished putting up his hair.  

“How do you mean?” He asked, checking his carefully structured bun from every possible angle in the vanity.

“Reg seems really surprised - or really _something_ , I’m not sure - that you invited them to brunch, why is brunch significant?”

 _They noticed_ , Sirius thought and let out a heavy breath of relief.  “Because it’s Sunday,” He said simply.

“Because it’s Sunday?” Remus repeated.  His eyes were predictably skeptical.

“Yes, because it’s Sunday.  I’m changing again, I can’t wear this.” Sirius ripped the t-shirt over his head.  It was the sixth he’d tried on that morning.

Remus groaned.  “How many more of my clothes are you going to muck up before we go?”

“I’m not mucking them up, they’re still perfectly clean.  And _I_ fold them before I put them away, which is clearly not how I found them in the first place.” Sirius dug around in the drawer with all of the t-shirts, most of which Sirius had purchased for Remus over the years.

“You’ll feel tidier in something from the wardrobe.” Remus  himself was wearing an oversized green monstrosity that made his frame look even slighter than it was.  

“I’ll die of heat exhaustion if I wear anything from in there,” Sirius huffed.

Seven minutes later they were finally settled into waiting for Reg to show up, Sirius wearing one of Remus’s nicer button-downs with the sleeves rolled a quarter of the way up his arms.  He kept pulling at it.  Though it fit him loosely the fabric had almost no give and he hated that.  Remus told him he was fixating to avoid the “real issue” and Sirius told him to stuff it.  He knew he was right.  

Remus sat at the head of his bed using the wall as a backrest and beckoned for Sirius to come sit between his legs.  Sirius moved a pillow out of the way and complied.  Remus’s hands came around his middle to find Sirius’s and his nose rested against the top of Sirius’s neck, nestled into his hair.  “Tell me about the importance of Sunday brunch,” He requested.

Sirius rested his head against Remus’s shoulder.  “Because Sunday brunches were ours.”

“Yeah?” Remus prompted lightly and played with Sirius’s fingers between his.  

“Yes.  Sunday mornings Mum and Dad would have all of their work colleagues over for brunch.  And it should have been a real chore for us to get all dressed up and play darling-children for mummy and daddy’s friends, but Reg and I looked forward to it every week,” Sirius hadn’t dared let himself think of these things in years.  His breath hitched with his own words.  “The dressing up and parading was as awful as could be expected, but then they’d sit down to eat and Reg and I would be shunted into the kitchen with the help.  We were to be displayed before brunch but not to eat with the adults.  And that suited us just fine because we got to eat all of the over-lavish things they served every week, but we also got to be loud and messy and it was the only meal of every week that we weren’t with our parents and we didn’t have to use our manners.  We’d throw food at each other and yell and carry on and the staff didn’t ever seem to mind, and _they_ couldn’t hear us from the dining room.  It was our time.”

“Sounds like you were hell on whoever had to clean it up,” Remus brought one of Sirius’s palms to his lips to kiss it and fold his fingers around it.

“Yes, probably.  But like I said, they never let on that we were being bothersome.” He turned his head to press his nose to Remus’s jaw.

“Sunday brunches sound really nice, Love.” Remus said and tilted down to kiss him properly.

After a not unpleasant moment of this, Sirus put distance between them enough to announce: “I think today should maybe just be us.”

“‘Just us’ being…?” Remus asked.

“Me and them.  I think it might be better if we can just get everything out just us.”

“Are you sure you’re ready for that?” Remus’s eyebrows knit together.

“Not entirely, but I do think it’ll be best anyway.  And you’re right here for me if it’s too much.”

“Of course I am.” Remus reassured him.

He offered a weak but honest smile, “It’s not a bad thing?  I mean, I’m here to be with you and I don’t want to waste a minute without you-”

“You’re not wasting it, this is as well spent as a minute could be.  Go to brunch with your sibling, come back and let me help you work through it.  It’s perfectly fine with me.”                                                                                            

Sirius laid small kisses over Remus’s face. “Thank you,” he managed through small pecks.

Remus snorted.  “What could you possibly be thanking me for?”

“Listening,” another kiss, “Caring at all,” and another, “just being here.”

Remus didn’t answer.  Instead he broke the uneven stream of little kisses in favour of a much slower, much deeper one that pulled Sirius onto his knees.  He spun in his spot between Remus’s legs and put his arms around Remus’s neck.

They broke apart when they heard the muted metallic sound of a key in the lock of the door.  Sirius scooted to the edge of the bed, every muscle in his body tense quite instantly.  He felt Remus’s legs fold up beside him.

Reg peered through the door before they entered, holding it open a bit to assess the room before walking through.  Their eyes caught Sirius’s almost immediately.  The door fell open but they didn’t move.

There was a moment of complete absence of thought before Sirius decided that if he didn’t say something, they never would.  “Good morning,” He said and lifted the corners of his mouth.  It didn’t feel convincing and it probably looked even less sincere than it felt.

“H-hi,” Reg gave a pained smile of their own, “Sirius.”

Remus got to his feet and pulled Sirius with him. “Should probably get going, or it’s gonna be too late to call it brunch.”

“Right. Do you know any good places yet?”  Sirius concentrated on Remus to stay grounded.

“I just figured you’d do the thing again.” Remus shrugged and looked up in the direction of the door.

“The thing?” Reg asked.

Sirius responded before Remus could try to come to his aid.  “The thing where we walk around until something smells great and we go wherever that is.  Or, alternatively, until Remus’s stomach starts growling so loudly it scares children on the street.”

“Well that’s rude,” Remus mumbled behind him but Reg gave a small laugh and Sirius’s heart unclenched a bit.

“But we’ll have to do it without Remus’s expert palate.  It’s just us today,” He informed Reg.

“You’re not coming?” They asked Remus.

“Nah, I’m going to get a bit more unpacking done.” Sirius thought that was entirely unlikely.

“Ready whenever you are, then,” Reg smiled politely at Sirius.  It was a smile reserved for important people in formal situations.  He’d seen it many times and it made Sirius profoundly uncomfortable to be on the receiving end of it.

They didn’t have to walk very long.  They made their way off campus to the tune of their own small talk.  Occasionally Reg would break into French and Sirius would respond without even realizing.  A few streets away they came across a place that seemed perfect enough and were seated within minutes.  

They were munching on bread, waiting to be served when Reg said the first thing that wasn’t about the weather or the people or the area.  They crumbled their food in their fingers without looking up.  “Thanks for holding out hope and trying not to give up on me,” They swallowed, “And thanks for the second chance.”

Sirius’s throat was too tight to respond.  Instead he tossed a long bang out of his face and let out a breath that might have been a laugh.  When Reg looked up and met his eye, he knew he’d forgive his sibling anything.  He also knew how dangerous that was, but there really wasn’t anything for it.  He chucked a bit of crust at them and their entire face lit up.  They retaliated with a slice of lemon.  It was lucky their orders came or they might have broken into an all out food war and the servers at the restaurant might not have taken  as kindly to their antics as the hired staff of the Black family.  As it was they settled into little fits of giggles in their respective seats.

After that there was no more ‘getting moved in alright?’ or ‘sun looks like it should hold up through the week’.  They talked about Reg working hard to get into school on their own without any backing from their parents for the first time in their life.  They talked about Architectural design and why on earth Sirius had landed on that - which led to a long discussion on that time Sirius had mapped their old boarding school with James, Remus and Peter and he’d become transfixed with how it all came together on paper. They talked about Reg finding their pronouns once they found themself as distinct from the idea of them their parents had inflicted upon them and Sirius finding a home with the Potters after leaving Grimmauld Place at the age of 16.

In all of the times Sirius had imagined reuniting with Reg it had never been this easy to talk to them.  By the time they returned to the dormitory an hour later, they were laughing and occasionally shoving each other in jest.  

Remus was waiting for them.  And by waiting, that meant he was fast asleep on his bed without even having bothered to pull the covers over himself.  Reg walked over to their side of the room to put their bag away while Sirius busied himself kissing his boyfriend’s ear until he whined himself awake.  

“Wh?”

“Gods, I love when you’re articulate like that,” Sirius kissed his ear again.  Remus flipped him off but began to pull himself into an upright position.

“Everything go okay?” He asked while Reg excused themself to the loo.

“More than.  But can we go for a walk?  I need to do some processing and I need just you for a bit,” Sirius requested.  “I want to lay down with you and just be, but I’m not chucking them out of here again, it’s their room too.”

“Relax, love, of course we can go for a walk.  Let me find my shoes,” Remus began digging around on the floor.

 

Mostly, they made laps around the nearby courtyard, which was beautiful, with a small garden in the center and lots of benches around.  As classes had yet to start there still weren’t terribly many people around, which suited Sirius just fine.  He was able to fill Remus in on the brunch events and they discussed his feelings about everything at length.  Their hands didn’t separate the entire time they were walking.

They didn’t return to the dorm until it was nearly dark.  Reg was waiting for them with takeout and news that they’d made arrangements for another night in the inn they’d stayed in the previous night.

“Don’t be ridiculous, this is your room,” Sirius surprised everyone, including himself, by flopping down on Reg’s neatly made bed instead of Remus’s, though no one acknowledged it verbally.

“Yes, but if you two need it it’s no trouble,” They said and unloaded the boxes of food from the bag they’d come in.  

“Nonsense.  We can all stay here, right?” Sirius asked.  “It’s just one more night, anyway.”

Remus’s face fell.  They had avoided discussion of Sirius going back to London.  “Yeah, there’s no reason you need to go tonight.”

Once that was agreed upon they settled in for the night.  They ate and helped Reg finish decorating their half of the room.  Sirius folded all of Remus’s clothes, mostly for something to do with his hands.  

It was well past midnight before they finally turned in for the evening.  Reg slept with a white noise machine which they kept quiet so as not to disturb the others.  Sirius didn’t say it out loud but he found it terribly relaxing as well.  Sirius fell asleep in Remus’s arms, tracing his boyfriend’s sleeping lips with the tips of his fingers.

 

MONDAY

When Sirius woke up it was still dark outside.  Reg’s noise machine was still making sounds like waves.  He wasn’t entirely sure what had woken him at first until he felt the lanky, warm body pressed against his shaking.

“Remus,” He whispered sleepily and put a hand on his hip.  Carefully nowhere near his face.  “Wake up, Remus.”

Remus let out a noise like a whimper and buried his face in the pillow.  He was already awake.  

“Dreams?” Sirius asked.  

“Mhm.”

He held him like that without another word for ages.  Until the trembling ceased.  Until light began streaming through the window.  Until Reg’s first alarm went off.  If their alarm system remained the same as it had been years ago, they had another hour and about four more alarms before Reg actually woke up.  They rolled over and smacked it apparently without budging from unconsciousness.

“What time is your train?” Remus’s voice was small. Not just quiet or soft.  Small.  Like it was lost in his throat.

“Open return,” Sirius explained, keeping his voice low but steady.  “I think there’s one every hour or so.”

Remus chewed on his lip.  “I don’t want you to go at all.”

Sirius gaged that Remus was through the worst of the anxiety and put a tentative hand on his face.  Remus closed his eyes and did not flinch away from the touch.  “I’m here.  I’m not going until you say so.”

Remus’s eyes seemed so large and hopeful in that moment.  His brow crinkled in worry, his bottom lip between his teeth.  Remus had green eyes.  Not a shocking electric green, or a vibrant emerald green; muted sage.  Green that wasn’t immediately recognizable as green until one was looking into them so close and so encompassing they became forests.  Sirius could cheerfully be lost in the topiary of Remus’s eyes.  “Stay another night?”

Sirius had to reign in his joy in case this was actually too good to be true, like it seemed.  “Can I really? I mean- are you sure? The whole point of you coming here a few days before the classes start was because you wanted some time to get used to things before getting sucked in and- ”

“I want you more.”

Sirius grinned so broadly it hurt his muscles so early in the morning, and leaned across the few inches of space to kiss Remus soundly.

“Is that- a yes?” Remus asked determinedly through kisses.

Sirius only nodded, rubbing their noses together in the process.

 

Reg was in and out of the dorm all morning and afternoon.  They wanted to acquaint themselves with the campus as much as possible before classes started and had set about doing so.  Remus and Sirius had conspired to spend the day to themselves locked in the otherwise vacant room with the full intent to do absolutely nothing all day.  That lasted until about midway through their late breakfast, which consisted of leftover takeout.

“Are we doing the thing again for dinner tonight?” Remus asked between fork-fulls of rice.

“Aren’t you tired of eating out?”  Sirius huffed.

Remus shrugged and did not make eye contact, his lip quirking up on one side.  “You never seem to get tired of _eating out_.”

Sirius threw a balled up, empty paper bag at his head, but made no attempt to deny the claim.  “Maybe, but that doesn’t cost me a thing, does it?  Your stomach is going to bankrupt you before you’ve even received your book lists for the term.”

“It’s not like I’m going anywhere expensive,” He defended.

“No.  Today, we’re going shopping and we’re going to cook something in that community kitchen we pass on our way in.”  Remus pulled a face but Sirius continued.  “What are we making?”

“A mess, probably,” Remus mumbled.

“That too, if history serves us.  But what are we making a mess out of?” Sirius clarified.

“You should do that thing you do with the chicken and the wine.” He could practically see Remus salivating despite the rice still perched on his fork.

“I can do that but you have to help.”

They negotiated for only a few more moments before they agreed upon terms and set out to find a proper grocery store.  

 

It didn’t take them very long to decide that the nearest shop was one they probably wouldn’t frequent again.  The produce section was limited and the few selections they did have were rather overripe.  But they were able to acquire the necessary ingredients and were near the register when they doubled back for dishware, as this was not something Remus already possessed.                           

They were passing the plastic cups when Remus put a hand on Sirius’s arm.  “Padfoot.”

Sirius looked up at the shelf and realized at once what Remus was trying to convey. He looked up at him for confirmation that they were both thinking along the same lines and saw that mischievous schoolboy glint in his boyfriend’s eye.  He smirked and they began pulling plastic cups off of the shelves by the armful.

 

They burst through the dormitory door in a fit of activity, dinner planning cast aside mentally as well as physically.  They had needed all of their arms to carry the cups back to campus, they had had no room for the food.   

They dumped their spoils onto the floor between the beds and Sirius immediately grabbed Remus’s laptop from the desk and wedged himself against the wall with it.

“It’s room 3b, I think in the South building.”  Remus instructed.

“I’m pulling up the map, now,” He assured him.

Reg was sitting bolt upright on their bed, wide eyed at the pair of them, having been laying down in a silent dorm not ten seconds ago.  They watched Remus dig an old, scuffed notebook out of a drawer in his desk and Sirius tossed him a pen from the table beside the bed.

“What do you have?” Remus asked, joining Sirius on the bed.

“Blueprints.  Okay so everything should be on lockdown around nine.  But the windows look comically easy to jimmy.  If you give me a leg up we should be able to get in through this set of windows on the side here, or - if they’re jammed or something - in through the bathroom in the east wing of the building on the first floor.  Last resort will be the basement, looks like there are some small windows along here.  But those’ll be a right pain.  I’m praying for the first set to work.  Problem is exposure.”

“We’ll keep a lookout for security patterns for a half hour or so beforehand,” Remus noted.    

“Perfect.  So unless this room’s been remodeled in the last… five years… and as long as this scale is accurate… we’re looking at 1,229 square meters of space.  Not including desk space.  So we’ll take off maybe three hundred for that?”

Remus was furiously scribbling the figures Sirius was spitting out into the notebook.    As if to himself he muttered, “Okay so that’s 1,229 minus about three hundred for seating space.   And we’ve 2,000 cups.  So if we want them spaced equally that’s, err…” He looked up at Sirius.

“What are you looking at me for?  I’m not a bloody abacus.” He said indignantly.

“Get a calculator up on the computer, Padfoot!” He gestured at the laptop wildly.

“2.153.” Reg blurted out.

Remus and Sirius both looked up with their eyebrows raised.

“Come again?” Sirius asked.

“2.153, the cups will have to be 2.153 square meters apart.  Approximately.  Rounded to the nearest… thousandth… What?” Remus and Sirius were looking at Reg with probably an unnerving level of awe.  Sirius had forgotten how quick Reg was with maths.  For a moment, nobody said anything.

Then, “Better write that down, Moony.”

Sirius smiled at Reg and they smiled back in a manner Sirius hadn’t ever imagined he might see again.  

“How much water are we going to need?” Remus asked Reg instead of Sirius and he could see the look of surprise on his sibling’s face.  

“Chuck me a pack of the cups?” Sirius asked, Remus did as requested.  “Think 200 milliliters in each?  Not over full but enough to get the point across?”

“How are you going to get 400 liters of water into whatever building you’re talking about?” Reg asked.

Sirius waved the question off.  “That’s just taps, obviously. A hose if we can find one but I doubt it.  Know anyone in this building with a pitcher or a bucket you can borrow?”

They debated logistics for several minutes and set out in search of some device for transporting sizable quantities of liquid and also food.  Because they couldn’t very well prank on an empty stomach.  Sirius wound up making a box of pasta someone didn’t want while Reg and Remus sat in the community kitchen with him.

“This is a mission, Moony. You can’t wear that ugly jumper on a mission, you have to blend in with the night, black only.” Sirius huffed, arms cast about him while he spoke.

“Because your loud heeled boots blend in so nicely with the quiet night, right,” Remus managed eight sentences worth of sarcasm into the space of one.

Sirius looked down at his heels, which looked as fabulous as ever.  “That’s different, they’re necessary for the aesthetic.” And they _were_.  Sirius had his hair in a high, tight, precise bun and had somehow managed a sleek, dark look out of the resources in Remus’s wardrobe and the little he had packed himself.

Remus rolled his eyes so hard Sirius thought it must have hurt his head.  “I mean it, cmon. Back me up here, Reg.”

Reg was back to being curled up on their bed.  “Well I dunno, they do say that orange is the n-.”

“NOOOOO!”  Sirius hollered.  “WHY ISN’T ANYONE HERE NORMAL?”

Remus did wear the ugly orange jumper, much to Sirius’s dismay.  They were loading the bags of cups onto their arms, saucepan and soup pot ready for water carrying purposes, when they both realized that Reg wasn’t behind them.

“Well? Aren’t you coming?” Sirius asked.

“Oh, I- I wouldn’t want to-”

“We could use a lookout.” Sirius beamed at Remus for the suggestion.  He shrugged.  “Well, we could.”

Reg grinned and Sirius could see their muscles working to keep their joy under control.

 

It took them just over two hours to assemble the cups full of liquid exactly the way they wanted them.  Breaking into the building had been easier than any of them had anticipated. One of the windows in the very first set that they tried had been left open, they didn’t even have to snap a lock. Remus had hoisted first Sirius, then Reg and finally himself through the window with his obnoxiously long limbs.  After that they’d made an assembly line of filling the cups, bringing them to the lecture hall, and setting them exactly as they wanted.  Campus security had nearly caught them no less than five times throughout the evening, the last being the closest call.  Leaving the south building, one officer had called after them and they’d made a full out run for it.  

By the time Reg was putting the key into the dormitory lock they were all a panting, laughing mess.  They practically fell through the door one after another, still breathless and practically dizzy with adrenaline.  Sirius wasted no time in jumping on Remus, who caught him around the waist.  

He pressed both of his palms to Remus’s cheeks and peppered his face with kisses.  “You- were- so- brilliant,” He managed in between.

“God, I love you so much,” Remus spun him around and set him down on his toes so that he could kiss him properly.  

Remus’s hand slid around his bare neck and his mouth opened under Sirius’s, tongue searching for his.  Suddenly Sirius was breathless in an entirely different way.  His fingers alternated between clenching at Remus’s shirt and running over his chest.

It wasn’t until there was a small, barely audible cough from the other side of the room that they remembered they weren’t exactly alone enough for that level of intensity and broke apart.

Reg was looking curiously at them, eyes a bit narrow and brow creased.  Sirius shifted uncomfortably.  There was an apology on the tip of his tongue but he knew he had nothing to apologize for and he swallowed it.  That was quickly replaced with a sharp defense.  “What?” He asked instead.

Reg made no effort to respond at first.  Finally they shook their head.  “Nothing, I just… Don’t really get it.” They folded their arms over their chest and frowned.

Sirius saw red.  How fucking _dare_ they?  After everything they’d said and done in the last few days, how could they?  His mind was full of old words, words that had been thrown at him and Remus by Reg and the rest of Sirius’s family at the outset of Sirius and Remus’s relationship.  “Get _what_?!” He yelled, completely set off.  “That is fucking unbelievable, are you for real right now?!” His fingers gripped Remus’s jumper so tightly they were shaking.

“Calm down, Sirius,” Remus warned, but his voice was thick and Sirius could hear the lump in his throat.  Reg’s words had affected Remus and if he’d begun feeling anything close to shame like he used to, Sirius would personally see Reg’s forced departure from his life happily.  

Reg’s eyes were wide, though. “Shite, fuck, no- No!  I didn’t mean- shite, I’m so sorry, that’s not what I meant-”

“What, then?” Sirius spat.

“I just meant,” Reg took a breath, “I just mean I don’t understand the need for all… of that…” They gestured at Sirius and Remus standing a few meters away.

Sirius was so angry he was close to tears.  “How is that any better than what you said before?!  Look, if you’ve got a problem with me ki-”

Remus put a hand on Sirius’s shoulder to steady him.  He looked up without finishing his sentence.  Remus’s eyes were calm.  “I don’t think that’s what they mean, love.” He nodded encouragingly at Reg.  Sirius’s eyes snapped back to his sibling.

“I don’t mean- it’s not that I have any _problem_ with you two doing that, I just… I’m trying to see the appeal and I can’t.”  Sirius took a breath like he was about to start yelling again, so Reg talked over him preemptively.  “Sirius, I’m asexual!  I think I’m asexual.  It’s not you I have an issue with, I just don’t _get_ kissing like that.  It just all seems so messy and unnecessary, that’s all I was trying to say.”

“You’re ace?” Sirius asked, dumbfounded.  He had not exactly been expecting that.

“I’m ace,” Reg nodded.

Relief swept through Sirius in waves.  “How long has that been a thing?” He asked.  

Reg shrugged.  “Always, I suppose.”

Sirius rolled his eyes and _tsk_ -ed.  “Well, obviously.  I mean how long have you known?  Pete says it’s sort of more tricky for someone to realize they’re asexual than any other sexuality.”

“Is Peter?” Reg seemed taken aback.

“Came out year after we did,” Remus explained.

Reg nodded.  “Well he’s not wrong, in my opinion at least.  I mean, from what I gather, other people just _are attracted to_ certain kinds of people. But I thought I just wasn’t recognizing what they meant by attraction for the longest time.  Like heck yeah, girls look pretty sometimes and sure, guys are also aesthetically pleasing… so I noticed those things and just thought other people were exaggerating those thoughts and calling it attraction.  I thought people were joking, to be honest.  Really, it was easier to figure out I didn’t identify with a gender than it was to realize I didn’t have sex feelings.”

They spent the rest of the evening, and well into the early hours of the morning, discussing their identities and orientations among the three of them.  Even at their closest moments as siblings, Sirius had never felt so open with Reg.  By the time he was laying down in Remus’s arms for bed, he felt like several cement blocks had been lifted off of his chest.

 

TUESDAY  
 

Sirius was first to wake as per usual.  There was a neatly folded note on Remus’s bedside table that hadn’t been there the night before. He picked it up and tried to read it  through sleep-bleary eyes.

_Late-Sleepers-_

_I have gone out to shop for a few more living supplies.  I shall probably be gone for the remainder of the day, but please send me a text before Sirius leaves.  I should like to meet you to say goodbye._

_R.A.B._

Sirius scoffed.  Reg was the dramatic sibling and no one could convince him otherwise.  He folded the paper back up and set it on the table, but the motion caused Remus to stir.

He grunted and tossed a bit.  Though his eyes didn’t open, his arms wound around Sirius’s waist - a bit awkward as Sirius was sitting upright.

“Good morning, handsome,” Sirius didn’t bother trying to keep the smile out of his voice. “We’ve the place all to ourselves this morning.  I was just thinking maybe I could run down to the nearest bakery and bring you breakfast in bed because I am clearly at least the second best boyfriend in the entire world.”

Remus’s eyes opened curiously and searched the room.  “Nah,” He shook his head.

Sirius pressed his fingers to his chest and feigned a swoon.  “Did you- YOU.  Remus Lupin.  Did Remus Lupin just turn down breakfast?” He asked, eyes wide with exaggerated concern.  “When have you ever refused food being brought to you in bed?”

“Don’t want food,” Remus mumbled.

Sirius changed demeanor instantly. His concern was genuine when he pressed a hand to Remus’s arm.  “Are you okay?  Did you dream again?”

Remus made a noise in his throat and smiled.  “I’m fine, love.  Just hungry for other things.”  He pulled Sirius back down to him and wasted no time in finding his lips with his own.  He pulled the blanket over them both while Sirius’s legs came to rest around his hips.

Words were lost for the next several minutes.  Morning breath was, thankfully, something that didn’t particularly bother either of them.  Not after years and years of waking up and wanting kisses too badly to care about such trivial things.  But somewhere in the space of those minutes the kisses changed.  Remus’s mouth opened under his and Sirius’s tongue found his boyfriend’s and the sensation rippled through his still-sleeping nervous system.  Remus made long, slow sweeps that made Sirius dizzy; made his skin feel hot.  His hands were in Remus’s hair, but Remus’s hands were all over Sirius’s body- running down his sides, over his arse, skimming over his thighs, pulling him closer by his neck.  

By the time Remus had both hands working the muscles in Sirius’s bare back, Sirius was putty on top of him.

“You’re not even playing fair today,” Sirius whined, and it was the first time either had made a deliberate noise in at least a quarter of an hour.  

The words seemed to ignite Remus into further action.  The shirt, which had been riding up Sirius’s back more and more over the past few minutes, came off of Sirius entirely.  After that no article of clothing was safe.  Once all of the distracting apparel was more comfortably on the floor, certain things could no longer be ignored.  

“We need a thing,” Remus muttered against Sirius’s neck, where he was laying hot, molten kisses over his skin.  “Do you have?”

Sirius pulled away reluctantly to yank his purse off of the desk and began rifling through it with increasing panic.  “Moons, I- I don’t think I brought one.”

Remus’s eyebrows were straining together.  “No, you must have.”

Sirius shook his head.  “What about you?  This is your place, isn’t it?  Where’s the box?”

Remus dug around under his bed but his face was not hopeful.  “It’s in here but there aren’t condoms in it.  I left our box at the flat when I left and didn’t bother to pick any up.  Didn’t think you’d be here until October.” Remus pulled out the lock box that stored their modest collection of sex toys and accessories.  He spun the combination into it and it popped open.  Sirius peered over the other side of it while Remus dug through the horribly disorganized contents.  No condoms.  

Remus sagged to the bed in a huff while Sirius put the open box on the floor.  The blanket was covering most of his naked body and, condom or no condom, that was unacceptable.  He scooted the blanket aside and kissed Remus’s naked chest.

“We said we’d never let that happen again,” Remus whimpered into his hands.  

He was referring to their very first encounter with condoms.  It had been over a year into their relationship.  The discussion of intercourse had never even come up between them.  They were always so occupied with using their hands and their mouths to enact physicality that neither of them had given much thought to it.  Sirius had had two fingers buried inside Remus with an arm under his waist for leverage, when Remus had murmured, “Want your cock” between laboured breaths.  “Believe me, you can have it, just give me a mo’,” Sirius had assured him, but Remus had shaken his head.  “Inside.” And the next moment was a bit blank to Sirius.  Remus says he coughed a lot and stopped moving in him for a solid minute, but that could be a bit of hyperbole.  Thus had begun the mad hunt for protection.  Sirius had dug through all of James’ things and finally found an empty Durex box in his sock drawer.  He’d run into the common room in Remus’s jumper and possibly not his trousers to try to bum one from every person in Gryffindor house, one of four distinct factions of their boarding school.  In the end it was, strangely, Peter who had had one to spare.  He’d had several boxes to spare, actually, as his mother kept sending them even though he told her time and time again that ‘no, he was not just saying this to make her feel better,’ and that ‘he most certainly was not having sex because he was bloody asexual’.  She wasn’t trying to be bigoted, she just wanted him to be safe.  So once per quarter, she would send a box in the mail.  And henceforth once per quarter, Sirius and Remus would split the box with James and they'd send her a thank you note each. But after that first time, Remus and Sirius had vowed never to be left without one again.  

“Well, we made it several years without incident, at least.” Sirius crawled up to hover over his boyfriend and press kisses to his stomach.  

It didn't take much to make Remus forget all about the disappointment of that ordeal.  Namely, little kisses spread from over his abdomen down to his navel took the edge off of it quite nicely.

When he didn't stop at his navel Remus sucked in a breath.  Long legs on either side of Sirius bent up at the knees and inched apart to make room for him to slip between them properly.  Remus’s core emanated warmth and musk.  Sirius pressed kisses along the inside of his thighs until his lips reached the space between them.  He kissed his labia near the top, right over his hooded clitorus, before drawing his tongue lightly up the crease to separate them.  Remus’s pelvis jumped and he stifled a noise.  Sirius set a goal for himself: unstifle that noise.  He had set his tongue back near his center for another broad swipe up when he had to stop.  He was interrupted by Remus laughing so hard he was having difficulty catching his breath.

“What on earth is the matter with you?” Sirius asked, but Remus just kicked his legs out.

“Stopstopstop!” He wheezed.

Sirius sat back.  He wasn’t sure what the problem was but clearly there was one.  “What?  What did I do?”

“Your breath- it- it tickles!” Remus laughed.  Sirius looked up to see him covering his eyes with one hand.

“Oh.  But I mean, I have to breathe,” Sirius was baffled and suddenly very aware that he was breathing right on Remus.  He directed his face  elsewhere.

“It’s just- it’s so light.  Just try again, love, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Remus’s laughter had dulled into little chuckles.  When Sirius thought it might be okay to try again he ducked his head back down and tried the same tactic he’d used before.  Except this time when Remus laughed it was short-lived.  Sirius drew his tongue up his folds and circled his clit a few times.  Laughter gave way to a long and involuntary moan.  Sirius smirked to himself.  After that there was no complaint of tickling, though little tremors seemed to ripple through his body at random.

Sirius picked up a rhythm with his tongue, sliding from just before his entrance to just before his clit, enjoying the sounds of Remus coming undone above him.

“Sirius- fuck, stop teasing,” He whined and pulled a pillow over his face to muffle his noises.  Sirius regretted the loss of them, but he also knew from experience what Remus probably looked like at that moment - face all flushed, curls wild about his face, fingers clenching onto the sides of the pillow the way they should have been doing in Sirius’s hair.  Sirius had to shift his hips in acknowledgement of his own predicament.

Never one to disobey a Moony request, Sirius dipped his tongue lower.  And lower.  And lower still.  Until he was slipping inside of Remus and his senses were flooded with his boyfriend’s particular tang and the hot pressure of his walls.

Breathing was not an easy task at this angle, but he managed to work Remus into rather a pleasant state of disarray before he had to take a break to gasp in air.  He flexed the muscles of his tongue and dragged the flat of it along the inside of Remus’s labia.  Rougher than before but not harsh enough to over-stimulate.  Practice had given Sirius an appreciation of balance in these matters.  He went back to swirling motions around the hooded bundle of nerves while he drew a hand up to join him.

Two fingers - middle and index - played lightly just below Sirius’s chin, working to a sufficient lubrication before he slid them into Remus, who practically yelled into the pillow.  Sirius rocked his fingers back and forth in small, shallow movements while he let Remus become accustomed to the intrusion, much harsher than his tongue had been a moment before.  When Remus bore his hips down, Sirius got the message that he was to proceed.  Promptly.  He laved, wide passes of his tongue from urethra to clit, where he spent a few seconds placing light suction after every few strokes.  Meanwhile the fingers inside him twisted up and curled at the knuckles.  Sirius moved his arm from the shoulder and kept his fingers close to rigid so that he was thrumming against Remus’s g-spot.  

Ordinarily, Sirius would try to draw out the experience, but he was under no restraint, really.  Remus never seemed to take issue with achieving a series of orgasms in what Sirius considered a small space of time.  This did not mean it was over.  And it had been days since Sirius had had the pleasure of pleasing, which was far too long in his opinion.

Sirius heard the sharp gasp even as Remus tried to muffle it with the pillow, and his hips stilled.  Sirius could practically feel his boyfriend’s orgasm build- and build- and crest.  Remus came in a wave of poorly suppressed noises and spasming muscles. He stilled from the waist down, though his chest was heaving with breath.  Sirius gave him one last lick for good measure before pulling away.  He grabbed up a bit of the sheet beside him and wiped his face with it.

“This would be much more enjoyable if I could actually see your face,” He pouted and plucked the pillow away from Remus to admire his handy-work.  Remus’s eyes were still closed and his mouth was still open, lost in afterglow.  “Much better.”

“I’ll say,” Remus breathed and reached out lazily for Sirius, who complied immediately, stretching out against him along his right side, erection pressed to Remus’s thigh.  Remus’s arm came up around Sirius’s shoulders.

Sirius slipped a hand between Remus’s legs, fingers dancing over the areas that were safely not over-sensitive at the moment.  “Love mornings like these,” He sighed and kissed Remus’s chest.

“I love any morning I wake up with you,” Remus made an effort to finally open his eyes.  

“You great sap,” Sirius smiled and kissed him again, fingers still dallying.  His own tone sobered a bit as well, though. “It won’t be so bad, though.  Not waking up with me. You’ll be here and here is nice.  And you’ll talk to me all the time, it’ll be just like I’m here anyway.”

“Well,” Remus argued, “Not _just_ like you’re here.” He shifted his hips so that the side of Sirius’s finger brushed against him in earnest.  Sirius slid between his now quite wet lips.  His motions were much quicker than his last excursion but also much lighter.  Glossing rather than pressing.  

“Well we can handle that separation.  Been missing my left hand anyway, and I don’t think I need to show you how to use the bullet over there,” he gestured to the box on the floor.  Remus chuckled, eyes closed again.  “Plus just think of the missed-you sex we’ll get to have to make up for it all.”

Remus nodded, unable to form further thoughts, and brought his knees up again for a preferable angle.  

His second orgasm was sharp and brief but did not seem to lack in intensity.  Immediately after, he flipped Sirius onto his back and kissed him soundly.  Sirius was positively dizzy by the time he pulled back.  His head landed on the pillow Remus had been using to smother his noises.

“My turn,” Remus licked his lips hungrily.  Sirius’s erection twitched and he swallowed hard.  

That’s when Remus’s mobile began ringing.

“No!” Sirius whined.

Remus kissed his neck and leaned over to glance at the screen.  “If it’s an unknown number I’m not picking it-” Sirius knew he was doomed before Remus spoke the words. “It’s mum.”

Sirius pouted while Remus answered the call, erection flagging as soon as he heard Mrs. Lupin’s voice on the other end.

“Hi, Hope!” He hollered at the phone despite the irritation.

“She says hi,” Remus looked apologetic but sat up to talk to his mother.  

Sirius feigned sobbing for only a moment before he sat up.  “I’m going to-” He gestured toward the loo.  Remus nodded in acknowledgement and let him go.  

 

Sirius was already melting under the heat of the spray coming from the shower head above him when he felt Remus’s form move in behind him, that strange mix of radiant body heat and cool skin that always accompanied a dry body in a wet shower.  Arms came around his middle and a familiar chest pressed against his back.  Remus was all _body_.  All limbs and bones and flesh that smelled like comfort.  And a bit like sex.  Sirius tilted his head back to press against Remus’s shoulder.  

“How’s mum?” He asked and continued the path he’d been making over his body with the loofah.

“She’s fine.  She wanted to know everything that was going on, I told her you’re here and a brief overview of what’s happened so far and she seemed content with that.  Wants to make sure you’re still going over for tea sometime next week though.” Remus pulled the soapy loofah out of Sirius’s fingers and placed it on the little shelf beside them.

Sirius’s heart was already racing when Remus’s hands replaced it, working suds into his chest.  He smiled.  “I haven’t forgotten.  Between her and Euphemia I’m drowning in maternal affection.”

“Oh no, everyone loves you, whatever will you do?” Remus asked dryly.  

“Bask in it, Moony.  I’m going to bask in it.”

“ _I_ love you,” Remus muttered quietly in his ear.

“I love you, too,” Sirius settled more comfortably against him.

“I want to show you.”  Remus kissed his left ear once, twice, three times, and bit down on the lobe, which was temporarily devoid of all metal bits.

“Ohh,” It was meant to come out as a sound of comprehension, but Remus’s hands were moving lower down his torso and it spilled from his mouth with a lot more pleading than intended.

“I want you,” Remus murmured.  Sirius shivered into his embrace.

“Tell me,” Sirius had abandoned all pretense of shower.  The entirety of his mind was fixated on Remus’s fingers and Remus’s chest and Remus’s _lips on his ear again_.  

“Want to taste you,” Both of Remus’s hands were on each of Sirius’s hips, “Want to feel you on my tongue; feel you in my throat,” His fingers pressed into Sirius’s sharp hip bones and massaged in that way that made pressure form in the pit of Sirius’s stomach, like he was on the verge of orgasm without actually being on the verge of orgasm.  It was a maddening sensation.

Sirius let out quite an undignified noise.  “Please,” He managed, already breathless.

Before he could so much as ask what Remus was doing, he found himself with his back pressed against the tile wall and Remus - face about waist high - perched before him.  Remus flashed him a wicked smirk before descending upon him, working him back to full hardness via a strategic combination of his hands and his mouth.

Remus’s mouth was as close to magic as Sirius could ever imagine anything being.  Of course he had few mouths to compare it to - and by few, Sirius meant none at all, but from research gathered (on the internet and also talking to James), from what he could tell, Remus was _quite_ above proficient in this area.

Sirius had no pillow to subdue his noises.  He wouldn’t have used it if he’d had one in any case.  The water sprayed over his left side and Remus’s right while an incredibly talented tongue lapped along his length.

For the next several minutes, Sirius found the formation of complete thoughts to be an impossible task.  Single words were the most he could manage like _tongue_ , and _fingers_ , and _deeper_ , until he couldn’t manage to stave his orgasm any longer and reached down to put a warning hand on Remus’s shoulder.  This only encouraged him on further and Sirius came into his boyfriend’s mouth.  Remus didn’t even break rhythm until Sirius was well spent.  

Sirius recovered in time to see Remus getting to his feet, pulling his fingers out of Sirius and turning his head to rinse his mouth out with the running water.  He hummed,  apparently satisfied.  “Thank you,” He slipped fully into the water with another little grin.  He always did that: brought Sirius off with the magic of his mouth (and the assistance of his not-uncoordinated fingers) and then _thanked_ him.  Like Sirius had done _him_ a service.  It always left Sirius completely at a loss.

 

Dressing took even longer than usual, for several reasons.  The first was that neither of them was terribly eager to get to the train station.  The second was that Sirius went through three full outfits before realizing what was wrong with them all.  It should have been a dress day.  But, as she hadn’t packed one of those and as Remus didn’t exactly keep them lying around, she had to get creative.  She chose an overly baggy band shirt - large enough that it came down just above her knees -  from the drawer and cinched it at the waist with a belt.  The effect was rather nice, she thought.  She would have liked it better with leggings, but beggars could not be choosers after all.  Remus tugged her over to him by the tail of the belt and held her fast against him to kiss her sweetly.

They wound up making it to the station only a few minutes later than they’d intended.  Sirius swore she was missing something but couldn’t pinpoint what, and dismissed the feeling.  Reg was already waiting by her track when they got there.

“I’m really glad you came for these few days,” They started off the goodbyes.  This wasn’t going to be easy, Sirius realized.  

“I am too.  It was good catching up and all.” Sirius cringed internally.  She had so many feelings regarding Reg and the last few days.  But she couldn’t bring herself to bring voice to any of them.

“You’ll come back soon?” They asked.

“Maybe, yeah.  We’ll see how things go.  You could come home with Moony for Halloween, I think he might be coming back to London instead of us coming here,” She offered.  “There’s a spare pullout in the flat.” Remus squeezed her hand in encouragement.

Reg smiled, a face-transforming sort of smile.  “Yeah, that’d be fun, alright.  So I’ll see you then.”

Sirius nodded.  “Yeah, see you.”

Reg gave a final wave and turned to leave.  

Sirius exchanged a look with Remus and called after them.  “Reg, hold up.” She hurried after them.  When they turned back around she threw her arms around them without thought.

Reg was momentarily startled, but quickly returned the embrace and it was _so_ long overdue.  Sirius’s chest hurt with the weight of it and there was a lump in her throat when she pulled away and looked at her sibling; unable to believe her luck.  She was so sure she would never again have an opportunity to hug them. “I’ll see you soon, yeah?” She asked.  They nodded and that felt more secure.  They exchanged one more quick hug before Reg actually departed.  

Remus’s arms came up around Sirius’s waist before she was finished watching Reg walk away.  His lips were on her ear, kissing and murmuring, “I love you, I love you I love you.”

With some effort she spun in his arms and kissed his lips.  “I love you too.  It’s not going to be so long.  And if there’s an emergency, you’re a three hour ride away.  Right?”

Remus nodded.  “Right.”

Sirius knew that those things were true, but that didn’t make leaving much easier.  Tears dampened her cheeks and Remus wiped them with his knuckles, his own eyes filling with moisture.  

They didn’t say goodbye.  Goodbye was too hard and too final.  They said, as with Reg, that they would see each other soon.  And they didn’t kiss like they wouldn’t see each other for two months.  They kissed like they loved each other and would miss each other for their brief time apart - like they always kissed.

Then Sirius was in a seat with her forehead pressed against the window - against Remus’s instruction -, waving farewell with a single finger while Remus blew her a kiss.  And then she was gone.

 

_(10:18) So saying goodbye for the second time fucking sucked._

_(10:19) You’ve been gone for four minutes and I already miss you_

_(10:24) Text me when you get home._

 

**(12:31) I miss you too.**

**(12:32) That was much worse than the last time.**

_(13:32) For me too_

_(13:32) Still glad you came._

**(12:33) Me too**

**(12:33) No regrets**

_(13:34) I have some_

_(13:34) I think I’ve finally reached my limit in pastry consumption._

_(13:35) I’ve been in this bakery for three hours and I lost count of how many éclairs I’ve had about an hour in._

_(13:36) Not sure I can move._

**(12:37) Remuuuuuuuuuuus**

_(13:37) It’s not my fault._

**(12:38) Whose fault is it, then?**

_(13:40) Antonin Carême’s._

**(12:41) I beg pardon?**

_(13:41) If you trust the historians._

**(12:43) Remus J Lupin, if you are about to go off about the history of the sodding eclair…**

_(13:45) It’s an amazing pastry! The dough is nice and crisp, the custard is delicious, and I don’t think I even need to say anything about the chocolate icing. The whole thing is heavenly._

_(13:45) Plus it’s shaped like a penis._

_(13:46) Its history is important._

**(12:47) All important qualities, to be sure.**

**(12:47) Historical importance and phallic resemblance.**

**(12:47) And chocolate icing.**

_(13:48) It has to have chocolate icing._

**(12:48) Of course it does**

_(13:49) I was wrong about my limit, they just brought out a new batch, I’m taking some to-go._

**(12:50) Good god.**

**(12:51) Please eat a carrot or something at some point today.**

_(13:51) Ew, no, gross, go away._

 

*******

 

**(12:50) Hi, I need you to do me a favour.**

(13:54) Sure, yeah.

**(12:55) Remus is about to come back to yours with a bag of baked goods.  Hide them.**

(13:56) Okay?

**(12:57) Just do it**

**(12:57) Thank you**

 

(15:01) He has an impressive swearing vocabulary.

**(14:03) Quite the mouth on that one, yeah.**

**(14:04) I take it he hasn’t found them?**

(15:05) I hid them right when he got back when he went to the loo, and now he just thinks he misplaced them.

(15:06) Am I allowed to give them back at some point?

**(14:07) I’ll tell you when.**

 

*******

 

**(14:07) Eat a vegetable.**

_(15:08) Um, no thank you._

**(14:08) Eat a vegetable or the eclairs get it.**

_(15:09) You got them to steal my eclairs?!_

**(14:09) EAT A VEGETABLE**

_(15:10) WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO FIND A VEGETABLE_

**(14:11) I don't know, locate one!  Ask Reg.**

_(15:11) I’m not talking to them until they give me back my eclairs._

_(15:11) And to think I was gonna share them with them!_

**(14:12) Speaking from experience, you don't want to get into a rivalry with Reg.  How do you think I prepared for James?**

_(15:13) Gonna try bribing them._

**(14:14) With what?**

_(15:14) Some Sirius information_

**(14:15) You wouldn't.**

**(14:15) what do you even have on me?**

**(14:15) Oh gods, I just realized that the two of you being chummy is possibly going to be the worst thing that's ever happened to me**

_(15:16) Wanna reconsider reuniting me with my pastry?_

**(14:17) Compromise.  Eat a protein.**

_(15:17) I’m not hungry._

**(14:18) Bet you'd eat the eclair if it were there**

_(15:18) Try me._

**(14:19) Cute try.  Nope.**

_(15:19) How about_

_(15:19) You let me have one eclair now_

_(15:20) And I promise I’ll eat a healthy dinner tonight._

_(15:20) Okay maybe not healthy, per se_

_(15:20) But it would contain a protein and a vegetable._

**(14:23) Fine.**

_(15:23) Thank youuuuu_

_(15:23) I’ll think about your penis while I eat it_

**(14:24) Thought that was your brain's default setting anyway**

_(15:24) Nah, it’s mostly set on your face_

**(14:25) That works for me in equal measure**

_(15:28) Halloween, right? If not before._

**(14:29) That’s the goal.**

_(15:29) Okay._

**(14:31) It's less than two months.**

_(15:31) Still a lot.  Haven’t been apart for that long for years._

_(15:32) Since the summer before 6th._

**(14:34) Yeah.  But we’re a lot stronger now than we were then.**

_(15:35) That much is true, yeah._

**(14:36) For instance**

**(14:36) I know that you love me now.**

_(15:37) To be fair, you could’ve know that then too, had you been a bit less daft._

**(14:38) I could’ve known it then if you’d TOLD me, too, so don’t you start with me**

_(15:38) You know I had valid reasons not to_

**(14:39) Try telling that to sixteen year old me**

_(15:39) I believe I did, quite unsuccessfully_

**(14:40) I needed it spelled out!  How was I supposed to know what you meant if you didn’t say it???**

_(15:41) Well everyone else seemed to catch on._

**(14:43) You remember the day, though, yeah?**

_(15:43) Of course I remember the day._

_(15:43) I remember you walking around the corner with Prongs_

_(15:44) I remember feeling so relieved that you were okay_

_(15:44) I remember how your smile turned into a grin when you saw me_

**(14:45) I remember how damn good you looked on the platform**

**(14:45) I remember it felt like I could breathe right for the first time since summer started**

**(14:46) I remember how constant you seemed after my whole life had been kind of turned upside down and shook all over the place that year**

_(15:47) I remember still being angry at my parents, and feeling guilty for not being there for you during the summer, and a bit scared you’d be mad at me. But then you had your arms around me and it was like everything was suddenly right again._

_(15:48) And I remember_

_(15:48) Wait_

_(15:48) I don’t remember._

_(15:48) Oh my god_

_(15:49) Pads_

_(15:49) Did you kiss me or did I kiss you??_

_(15:49) I remember your arms around my neck, and I remember the smell of your shampoo, and I remember how soft your lips were_

_(15:50) But I don’t remember how they ended up on mine._

**(** **14:51) I, uhh, was hoping you'd tell me?**

**(14:51) I've never remembered that bit.  It was always your tight hug and so much relief and you holding my waist impossibly tight and then**

**(14:52) That was it, we were kissing and I couldn't remember that there were people all around or that we were supposed to be boarding the train for school it was just your lips after years of imagining**

**(14:52) And it was so much better than I'd imagined, so I convinced myself it didn't matter who leaned in but I would like to have known anyway.**

_(15:53) Oh, well,_

_(15:53) I’ll take the credit then_

**(14:54) Of course you will**

_(15:54) Does it really matter who kissed whom, though?_

_(15:55) Clearly the other one kissed right back._

**(14:56) True**

**(14:57) It was a hell of a kiss**

_(15:57) That it was._

**(14:58) And lots like it since.**

_(15:58) Countless._

**(15:01) Are you ready for class tomorrow?**

_(16:01) Different question, please._

**(15:02) Did you enjoy your chocolate iced penis?**

_(16:02) Very much so_

**(15:03) Good.**

_(16:03) Mind you, not as much as I enjoyed yours in the shower this morning._

**(15:04) Moonyyyyy**

_(16:04) What?_

**(15:05) Unfair and you know it.**

_(16:05) Didn’t hear you complain earlier._

**(15:06) Well coherency was difficult earlier**

_(16:07) Always blaming me for everything._

**(15:08) You're about to make this a very difficult two months, aren't you?**

_(16:08) I imagine they’ll be pretty hard for you, yes._

**(15:09) Jesus**

_(16:12) Reg informed me of a shop nearby that supposedly sells a variety of vegetables and other foods I’ve promised to turn into a meal that I will be consuming later tonight._

_(16:12) So I’m gonna go check that out, and talk to you later, yeah?_

_(16:14) Think of me when you wank_

**(15:14) Certainly will.  Eat delicious things.**

_(16:15) Make up your mind, do you want me to eat vegetables or delicious things?_

_(16:16) If you’re gonna tell me they’re not mutually exclusive, don’t bother, we all know that’s a lie once you take away potatoes, which ˝don’t count as proper vegetables, Remus˝_

**(15:17) They do not, do not go home with chips and tell me you ate vegetables!**

**(15:20) Remus???**

**(15:22) Damn you.**

 

_(18:03) Ye of little faith_

_(18:03) For your information, I bought some zucchinis._

_(18:05) Apparently you can deep fry them, did you know?_

_(18:05) Gonna try that._

_(18:08) Also someone needs to tell your sibling what nearby means._

 

**(17:42) That’s a start I suppose.  How far was it?**

_(18:44) Thirty-two minutes._

**(17:45) The nearest vegetable was thirty-two minutes away?**

_(18:46) Well, no, you know there’s that one shop just around the corner. But if I’m gonna eat vegetables I’m gonna eat local and organic ones._

_(18:47) And those are thirty-two minutes away._

**(17:48) Ahhh yes, no good deed goes unpunished**

**(17:48) That is why I avoid good deeds at all costs**

_(18:49) Sure you do._

**(17:50) Hush, you'll ruin my reputation.**

_(18:51) How about you hush and let me finish making my dinner in peace._

 

_(19:20) I didn’t actually expect you to hush._

_(19:24) Can you unhush?_

 

_(20:06) Dinner was gross, by the way._

 

_(21:34) I’m not ready for class tomorrow._

_(21:35) I’m nervous, and it’s almost a good nervous, and I’m definitely a bit excited too, but I’m also worried._

_(21:39) I’m mostly worried._

 

**(20:58) You are Remus Lupin.  You are designed to be in a classroom.  You fit in a classroom like biscuits fit in tea.  You are going to be just perfectly fine.  You're going to have fun and that's going to be weird, but it's going to happen.  You belong there and you want to be there.**

_(22:00) I don't know anyone._

_(22:01) And half of my classes are in French._

**(21:02) You'll meet people, people like you.**

**(21:04) And you'll survive the French thing.  You'll get so used to it you won't even need me anymore.**

_(22:04) I’ll always need you._

**(21:06) You'll get used to that part anyway.**

_(22:07) I suppose._

_(22:09) I haven't had to make friends in a really really long time._

_(22:09) And I'm not like you, I can’t just start chatting with anyone who happens to cross my path and charm their pants off_

**(21:10) Excuse me, I have charmed the pants off of exactly one classmate in my entire life.**

**(21:10) And you don't even have to, people like you without you trying.**

_(22:11) People do not._

**(21:12) They do, though.**

_(22:12) Present your evidence._

**(21:15) Do you remember all those kids who signed up for tutoring seventh year when you offered?**

_(22:16) I do._

_(22:17) But they just needed help with their classes, that doesn’t count._

**(21:17) Oh Moony**

**(21:17) My naive little Moonpie**

**(21:18) They did not need help with classes.**

**(21:18) I'd say at least over half of them.**

_(22:19) That doesn’t make any sense._

**(21:20) You're a fun and interesting person to hang out with?**

**(21:20) I should know**

_(22:21) You do now, you didn’t when you met me._

**(21:22) When I met you you were a snarky little eleven year old shite and I was not equipped to handle it.**

_(22:23) I have very fond memories of those times._

**(21:24) Of you and Prongs deliberately doing things to make me uncomfortable?  Good times.**

_(22:25) Now, now._

_(22:25) Don’t forget Wormy._

**(21:26) Have I ever?  He wasn't NEARLY as awful about it as the two of you**

_(22:27) Yes, you truly suffered_

**(21:27) I did.**

_(22:28) Would you have preferred to stay a posh prejudiced arse?_

**(21:29) Hmph**

**(21:29) No.**

_(22:30) Then you’re welcome._

**(21:31) Thank you for fixing me.**

_(22:34) Are those really negative memories for you?_

**(21:34) What?**

**(21:35) Oh, gods no**

**(21:35) You teaching me how to swear and James giving me my first genuine hug are two of my most important memories.**

_(22:36) Okay_

_(22:36) Good._

_(22:36) Making sure._

**(21:37) But that’s not the point.  The point is that you’re personable whether you want to be or not, and you will be just fine tomorrow.**

_(22:40) There was a girl in the kitchen earlier and I said hi and she just looked at me and left._

**(21:41) Give them time**

_(22:42) Yeah._

_(22:42) I should probably go to sleep. Early day and all that._

**(21:44) yeah**

**(21:44) alright.**

_(22:44) Goodnight._

**(21:45) Bonne nuit et fais de beaux rêves**

_(22:45) Merci mon amour_

 

_(23:03) Call me?_

 

**[22:03 Calling: Moony]**

 

_“Need to hear your voice.”_

**“You can't be blamed, I have a voice like angels singing.”**

_“Do you now? Maybe you should sing me something, then.”_

**“That seems like a delightfully dreadful idea.  Remember you asked for it-”**

_“No, wait!  A poem, how about a poem?”_

**“Oh.  A poem, I could probably do that.”**

_“Excellent.”_

**“Okay.  Okay how about this?  This one… I like this one, yeah?  I don't remember the author.**

**‘She walks in beauty, like the night** **  
** **Of cloudless climes and starry-”**

_“It’s Byron.”_

**“Moony! No interrupting! Now I have to start again!”**

_“Soooorry.”_

**“Shhh!! Okay, okay,**

**‘She walks in beauty, like the night** ****  
**Of cloudless climes and starry skies;** ****  
**And all that's best of dark and bright** ****  
**Meet in her aspect and her eyes:** **  
** **Thus mellowed to that tender light  
****Which heaven to gaudy day denies.**

 ****  
**One shade the more, one ray the less,** **  
** **Had half impaired the nameless grace  
****Which waves in every raven tress,’**

 **I really like that part, Moony.  The one with the hair, I really like it.** **_”_ **

_“Oh, so you can interrupt but I can’t?!”_

**“Moony!! That’s totally different! It’s not interrupting when I do it, it’s artistic license.”**

_“Uh huh.”_

**“Shush! _  
_****  
** **‘Which waves in every raven tress,  
****Or softly lightens o'er her face;** **  
** **Where thoughts serenely sweet express.  
****How’, uhhh I don't remember this part.  It ends in ‘-place.’** _”_

 _“‘_ _How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.’_ _”_

**“Right, yeah, that.**

**‘And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,** ****  
**So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,** ****  
**The smiles that win, the tints that glow,** ****  
**But tell of days in goodness spent,** ****  
**A mind at peace with all below,** **  
** **A heart whose love is innocent’”**

_“Mmm thank you.”_

**“Another?”**

_“Yes, please.”_

**“Close your eyes, yeah?”**

_“Mhm.”_

**“‘Take bread away from me, if you wish,  
** **take air away, but  
** **do not take from me your laughter.**

 **Do not take away the rose,  
** **the lance flower that you pluck,  
** **the water that suddenly  
** **bursts forth in joy,  
** **the sudden wave  
** **of silver born in you.**

 **My struggle is harsh and I come back  
** **with eyes tired  
** **at times from having seen  
** **the unchanging earth,  
** **but when your laughter enters  
** **it rises to the sky seeking me  
** **and it opens for me all  
** **the doors of life.**

 **My love, in the darkest  
** **hour your laughter  
** **opens, and if suddenly  
** **you see my blood staining  
** **the stones of the street,  
** **laugh, because your laughter  
** **will be for my hands  
** **like a fresh sword.**

 **Next to the sea in the autumn,  
** **your laughter must raise  
** **its foamy cascade,  
** **and in the spring, love,  
** **I want your laughter like  
** **the flower I was waiting for,  
** **the blue flower, the rose  
** **of my echoing country.**

 **Laugh at the night,  
** **at the day, at the moon,  
** **laugh at the twisted  
** **streets of the island,  
** **laugh at this clumsy  
** **boy’ and sometimes girl ‘who loves you,’  
** **And gods, do I love you, Remus,  
** **‘but when I open  
** **my eyes and close them,  
** **when my steps go,  
** **when my steps return,  
** **deny me bread, air,  
** **light, spring,  
** **but never your laughter  
** **for I would die.’”**

_“...”_

**“Moons, you awake?”**

_“...”_

**“I love you so much.  Sweet dreams.  You’re going to be great tomorrow.”**

 

**[22:19 call disconnected]**

 

WEDNESDAY

 

_(8:23) Thank you._

 

_(8:45) Off to class._

_(8:45) I feel good about it._

 

_(9:00) Oh my god._

_(9:00) OHMYGOD_

**(8:04) what?**

 

**(8:15) Remus what?????**

 

**(8:23) Tell meeeee**

 

**(8:57) I'm getting slightly nervous.**

 

**(9:04) WHAT HAPPENED**

 

**(9:11) Are you okay?????  Should I call someone??  What's happening????**

 

_(10:46) I'm fine I'm fine_

_(10:47) You know our cups?_

**(9:47) yes????**

_(10:48) Someone improved our prank._

_(10:48) They put colour in our water._

_(10:48) They made a fucking rainbow._

**(9:49) That**

**(9:49) is**

**(9:49) GENIUS**

**(9:50) how did we not think of that???**

**(9:50) I'm so disappointed in us!**

**(9:51) Who did it???**

_(10:51) No clue._

_(10:51) And yeah, I'm kind of mad at us too._

**(9:52) clearly, next time we need to be much gayer about the whole thing.**

_(10:52) It looked really cool._

_(10:52) Hmmmm_

_(10:53) I’m gonna go find out who did it._

**(9:54) How??**

_(10:54) I have my ways._

**(9:55) What??? HOW???**

_(10:56) Shhh you don't need to know._

**(9:57) You're impossible**

_(10:57) Love you too._

 

_(13:08) Emmeline._

**(12:08) Emmeline?**

_(13:09) Claims to have worked alone._

**(12:10) WHO is Emmeline???**

**(12:10) and HOW did you find out???**

**(12:10) What is going on?**

_(13:11) A kindred spirit._

_(13:11) And through the process of elimination, mostly._

_(13:12) We’re getting lunch._

**(12:14) Oh**

_(13:14) I’ll tell you everything later, okay? Promise._

**(12:15) Yeah, okay**

_(13:15) Are you?_

**(12:16) What?  Yeah**

**(12:16) Yes, I’m fine**

**(12:17) Why?**

_(13:17) Just checking._

_(13:17) Can't quite tell when you text yet if your okays are actual okays._

**(12:19) It’s fine**

**(12:20) I told you you’d make friends.**

_(13:21) Yeah, yeah, the great Sirius Black was right once again_

**(12:21) I always am.**

_(13:22) Save your jokes for when I need cheering up._

**(12:22) Oi!!!**

 

_(14:54) So she’s an absolute delight._

_(14:54) French. Queer. Smiles all the time._

_(14:55) And taking all the same courses as me, which is great for several reasons._

_(14:57) Her dorm is right across from the lecture building, and she saw us sneaking in and decided to follow us, “because she was bored and we looked fun”. And she wanted to join us but also didn’t want to bother us, so her solution was break in the next night and make her own addition._

**(13:59) she sounds perfect**

_(15:00) Funny, that’s what she said about you_

**(14:01) She knows about me, yeah?**

**(14:01) I mean about us?**

**(14:02) Yes I know I sound like a sixteen year old.  I just need to know.**

_(15:03) ……._

_(15:03) She saw us making out, Pads._

_(15:03) Yes, she knows about us._

_(15:04) Probably more than she’d like, because I couldn’t shut up about you._

**(14:06) Okay.  I want you to meet people and I'm really very glad you've already found someone you get on with**

**(14:07) It's just new.  I've never not known a friend of yours.  Not since forever ago.**

_(15:10) It’s strange, I know. For me too._

_(15:11) You’ll meet her soon enough, though._

**(14:12) yeah**

_(15:15) What have you been up to?_

**(14:16) Last day with James**

_(15:16) I thought that was tomorrow?_

**(14:17) Oh no**

**(14:17) APPARENTLY**

**(14:17) He wants to “finish packing”**

**(14:17) On his last day home**

**(14:18) Which is more important**

**(14:18) Than**

**(14:18) ME**

**(14:19) So I get him today**

**(14:19) The penultimate day**

**(14:19) Like a consolation prize.**

_(15:20) Well to be fair, you did go to Paris for the days he thought he’d have you there_

**(14:21) I can't believe you're taking his side**

_(15:22) Stop texting me and go spend time with your best friend._

**(14:23) yeah yeah okay I love you bye**

_(15:23) Love you too._

 

**(22:32) I hate this week.**

**(22:33) First week of term weeks have always been so good**

**(22:33) They’ve always been reunions**

**(22:33) Not this.**

**(22:34) This I hate.**

_(23:40) Me too._

_(23:40) Feels all wrong._

**(22:41) Oh you are still up**

**(22:41) Halloween, yeah?**

_(23:41) Wanted to wait to say goodnight._

_(23:42) And yes. Halloween, definitely._

**(22:43) before you fall asleep, did anything important happen while I was with him?**

_(23:44) Nah, I took a nap and then read that book you gave me._

**(22:45) Exciting times**

_(23:45) I also found your jacket in my wardrobe._

**(22:46) Oh.  I’m sorry?**

_(23:46) Thank you._

**(22:47) You’re going to wear it, aren’t you?**

_(23:47) Every day, probably. Are we pretending that you forgot it here and not left it on purpose?_

**(22:48) Yes we are.**

**(22:48) I demand pictures.**

_(23:48) Ugh, do I have to?_

**(22:49) Well no**

**(22:40) Of course you don’t HAVE to**

**(22:49) But they’d just be for me**

**(22:50) And the knowledge that you’re wearing it without the visual would be something like torture**

**(22:50) But I’ll survive if you really don’t want to**

_(23:51) I’ll get Reg or Emme to take one every time I wear it._

**(22:52) Yesplease**

_(23:52) Will I get any in return?_

_(23:52) Maybe when you’ll wear my favourite jumper?_

_(23:53) Which I, too, have left behind by total accident._

**(22:53) I'll trade you for every one you send me**

**(22:53) Wearing whatever you want me to wear**

_(23:54) That’s a dangerous offer._

**(22:54) I live on the edge**

_(23:55) Mm okay then_

**(22:58) Is this where I have to say goodnight?**

_(23:58) And wish me sweet dreams._

**(22:59) Goodnight, Moony.  Dream about me.**

_(23:59) Night, love_

 

THURSDAY

 

**(9:48) So I am choosing to view this as ‘spreading the marauders far and wide to achieve maximum destruction’ rather than the sad ugly alternative**

(9:49) Um I'm like ten minutes away from your flat and even less than that from your uni.

(9:49) And James is barely an hour from me 

**(9:50) *spreading the marauders a cautious distance from ground zero to prevent said destruction**

(9:51) Better. 

**_(9:52) Yes! Good! Yes! This is a good idea! Yes!_ **

**(9:52) Knew I could count on you.**

**_(9:53) Where’s Moons hiding?_ **

**(9:53) Class, probably.**

**_(9:54) I bet his phone is going off every time one of us sends a text_ **

(9:54) That's 

(9:54) A 

(9:54) Very 

(9:55) Good 

(9:55) Point 

(9:55) You've 

(9:55) Got 

(9:55) There 

**(9:55) You'd better hope he's left it on silent**

_(10:57) He hasn't._

_(10:57) And he has been kicked out of class._

_(10:58) On his second day._

**(9:58) Moony!**

**_(9:58) You’re kidding!_ **

(9:58) Oops. 

_(10:59) I am not._

**_(10:00) We’re not even in the same country, how did we manage to get Moony in trouble on the second day FROM HERE?????_ **

**(10:00) Years of practice**

(10:00) I’m really sorry! 

**_(10:01) Relax, Wormy, it’s not like you ACTUALLY did it on purpose.  We were all texting.  How sorry SHOULD we be, though??  What is your ringtone???_ **

_(11:02) Ask Sirius._

**_(10:03) ???????_ **

**(10:03) For messages, is it still that one second clip of Worm screaming?**

(10:04) ????? 

_(11:04) I don’t know why I let you near my phone._

**(10:04) You’re so welcome, love**

(10:04) WHEN WAS I SCREAMING????? 

**(10:05) Don’t worry about it.**

**_(10:05) Hahahaha_ **

_(11:05) Shouldn’t you be packing, James?_

**_(10:06) Uuuuuuugh. Yes._ **

(10:07) No one goes anywhere until someone tells me why you guys have a clip of me screaming. 

**(10:08) I said don’t worry about it.**

**_(10:08) So does that mean Wormy screamed 18 times before you were chucked out???_ **

_(11:09) It does._

**(10:09) Brilliant.**

**(10:09) Also, sorry we got you thrown out of class**

_(11:10) That’s okay, don’t worry about it._

(10:11) That’s suspicious. 

**(10:11) That’s okay? That’s okay.**

**_(10:11) What aren’t you telling us, Moony?_ **

_(11:13) It might’ve been the wrong class._

(10:13) ………………………………………………….. 

**_(10:13) You went to the wrong class._ **

**(10:13) Remuuuuuuuuuuuus**

_(11:14) Shut up_

_(11:14) It was the right classroom_

_(11:14) Just the wrong building._

**(10:14) You’re such a mess**

**_(10:14) Oh, Moony…….._ **

**(10:14) A hot mess**

**(10:14) But a mess**

(10:15) Did you find the right one now at least? 

_(11:16) Yeah, but_

_(11:16) Can’t go in now_

_(11:16) Don’t wanna be late for class._

**_(10:16) That means you’re skiving off intentionally, you know_ **

_(11:17) Whatever, Prongs_

_(11:17) Better than walking in with everyone already there and drawing attention to myself_

**_(10:17) Your logic is astounding_ **

**(10:18) Maybe I’ll walk into all my classes half an hour late on purpose**

(10:18) You’ll make a much better impression next week 

(10:18) Or whenever you have that class again 

_(11:20) Yeah_

**(10:20) What class was it?**

_(11:21) My gender studies elective_

**_(10:21) Noooooo not the one that actually sounds interesting!!!_ **

_(11:21) I like to think all my classes sound interesting, thanks._

_(11:22) But yeah, I was looking forward to it_

**(10:22) Ahh, sorry Pumpkin**

(10:22) Padfoot, get a room 

(10:22) Or at least a side conversation 

**(10:23) What?? I didn’t do anything**

(10:23) You keep marking your territory with pet names

_(11:24) I’m not anyone’s territory?_

(10:24) No! No, you know what I mean 

**(10:25) I am not!  Can’t get a side conversation anyway, Moony and I are already sexting in our other window**

**_(10:25) You are not._ **

**(10:26) You don’t know!  We definitely are, Moony, tell ‘em**

_(11:27) We are not._

**(10:27) Moonpie!**

**_(10:27) Told you_ **

**(10:28) How though???**

**_(10:29) Because when Moony says sex things you lose the ability to speak in full words.  No way you’d be able to carry this on_ **

**(10:30) That is**

**(10:30) Not true.**

**_(10:31) It is._ **

(10:31) It kinda is though?? 

_(11:31) That’s actually very true._

**(10:32) You’re all the worst.**

(10:32) You love us. 

**_(10:32) Oh please, you love us._ **

_(11:32) We love you too, Pads._

**(10:33) THE WORST**

**(10:34) I AM TERMINATING THIS CONVERSATION**

 

**(10:48) Wow, did you all just listen to me?**

**_(10:49) only because I have to pack_ **

_(11:49) and I'm trying to compose a text to Emmeline to ask what I'm missing_

(10:50) Sorry, I was reading a thing 

**(10:51) It's fine, we should probably all be getting on with our days anyway.  Leaving this chat open in case of emergency though**

**_(10:51) Excellent plan.  Moony, I expect the details on this Emmeline later_ **

(10:51) Seconded 

_(11:51) Sure.  And I'm afraid to find out what constitutes an emergency_

(10:52) 85% of the time it’s probably just gonna be Padfoot not being able to decide what to wear

**(10:53) Oi!**

(10:53) ? 

**(10:53) Yeah, no, you’re right, that sounds pretty accurate**

_(11:54) I’d like to cast my vote now, for all future references: nothing._

_(11:54) And then you can send me those pictures you promised.._

(10:54) Oh, look, time to leave, bye 

**(10:54) Moony!!**

 

**(10:54) That was rude, Moony**

_(11:55) How you all got me kicked out of class?_

_(11:55) Yeah, it was a bit._

_(11:55) But I forgive you._

**(10:56) I'm sorry!**

**(10:56) I mean, it's like 97% your fault for leaving your volume up**

**(10:57) But I am sorry you got kicked out**

_(11:58) Honestly, it’s fine._

**(10:59) You can get the notes from Emmeline yeah?**

_(11:59) Yes._

_(12:00) I mean_

_(12:00) I hope so._

_(12:00) I’ll ask._

_(12:01) What if she’ll think I’m one of those persons, though?_

_(12:01) I’m not one of those persons_

_(12:01) I don’t want to be considered as that kind of person_

_(12:02) Maybe I shouldn’t ask_

_(12:02) They never cover anything really important in the first lesson, right?_

_(12:02) I don’t like this._

_(12:03) Why didn’t I fucking double check I got the right building_

**(11:03) Please breathe**

**(11:03) Ask her IF anything important happened before you ask for notes**

**(11:04) It happens and you'll recover from it and in a few weeks you won't even remember that you missed the first lesson**

_(12:05) Yeah. Yeah, okay._

**(11:05) Are you?**

_(12:09) Not really_

**(11:09) What can I do?**

_(12:13) Dunno_

_(12:13) Nothing_

**(11:13) I hate that option**

_(12:14) I’ll be okay_

_(12:14) Like you said, it happens_

_(12:14) Shouldn’t feel like a big deal_

**(11:15) Well, no**

**(11:15) But that doesn't dismiss the feeling that it is**

_(12:15) Yeah_

_(12:16) Are you busy?_

_(12:16) Can I call you?_

**(11:16) Yeah, call**

 

_[12:17 calling: Padfoot]_

 

**“...”**

_“Hi.”_

**“Mmm, missed that ‘hi’.  Hello yourself.”**

_“Tell me things?”_

**“Okay.  Well, I don't really know what to do with myself since I'm supposed to be staying out of James's luscious locks - by which I do mean that chaotic mane he calls hair - so that he can pack because before I was trying to help but he seemed to think that me taking all of his things out of his cases and carefully unfolding them was somehow “actively unhelpful".  So I went out to work on the bike for a bit and I feel like I got a bit done but I'm still waiting for parts so there was only so much of that to be had.  I tried to see if Wormy was up for lunch or something but “Sirius it's not even ten" so I went out myself and remembered how much I hate eating alone.  So that was awful.  I was at a coffee shop when I texted the lot of you and I'm trying not to be offended that everyone has time to talk to each other but not me - No, I know, I know that's not fair you don't have to tell me it.  But I was sulking, yeah, just a bit, and I was thinking about how if you were here I wouldn't have to eat alone and thinking about other things and I miss you.  Which is also selfish, I'm well aware.  But I'm on my way back to the flat now and I'll still stay out of James's way, I just don't quite know how yet but I will.  So that's my day so far.  It's not even noon.** **_”_ **

_“I- fuck, I’m sorry, I gotta go. Love you.”_

 

_[12:20 call disconnected]_

 

_(12:20) I’m sorry_

_(12:20) My next class started_

_(12:20) I miss you too_

_(12:20) I wish I could help more_

_(12:21) Thank you for letting me hear your voice, it helped_

_(12:21) I should probably stop so I don’t get kicked out of here too_

_(12:21) But I hereby give you permission to annoy Prongs_

_(12:21) He’s used to you, he can pack around you_

_(12:22) I’ll text you when I’m out for the day_

**(11:23) Yeah**

**(11:23) I’ll just**

**(11:23) Be here**

 

_(17:01) I'm sorry._

_(17:01) This sucks for me too._

**(16:02) I know**

**(16:02) Class go okay?**

_(17:02) Yeah, mostly just introduction stuff_

_(17:03) How are you?_

_(17:03) James all packed?_

**(16:04) Yeah, all but the essentials.  Toothbrush, glasses case and all that.**

_(17:04) When’s his train?_

**(16:05) Three hours**

_(17:05) Go do something stupid_

**(16:05) Is that permission???**

_(17:05) Like you ever need it_

**(16:06) It’s a nicety, not a necessity**

_(17:06) In that case, yes, that’s a permission, and also an encouragement._

**(16:07) I love you**

_(17:07) Mhm, I love you too_

_(17:07) Text me after so I’ll know you’re still alive_

**(16:08) I will I will**

 

_(22:48) You didn’t._

 

 _(23:57) Are you dead?  
  
_ _(23:58) Are you in jail?  
   
_ _(23:58) You can’t possibly be asleep yet_

 

_(00:35) Should I start looking for a new datefriend?_

 

_(1:03) I’m getting slightly worried_

 

_(1:24) Prongs isn’t answering._

_(1:24) Pete isn’t answering._

 

_(2:11) If you’re gonna show up and say ‘now you know how I felt the other day’ I’m gonna have no choice but to punch you_

_(2:11) Yes, I know you wouldn’t do that, but it’d be a better option than any other my brain is coming up with right now_

 

_(2:49) Just please be okay_

 

_(3:34) Reg is trying to convince me that you probably just lost your phone or something_

_(3:36) I’m getting too sleepy to fight them_

 

_(4:02) I love you._

_(4:03) Call whenever you see these_

 


	2. Chapter 2

FRIDAY

 

**[7:14 calling: Moony]**

 

_ “Sirius?”  _

**“Mmoon?**

_ “What happened, are you okay?” _

**“‘Time is it?”**

**_“_ ** _ It’s morning. Eight. Seven.” _

**“It's- Fuck... James, James wake up.”**

_ “Where are you?”  _

**“The flat… ow. The floor of the flat.”**

_ “Did you get pissed?”  _

**“Uhh… does it make it ‘better’ or ‘worse’ that we actually just fell asleep?”**

_ “Better, I suppose. You’re okay, then?”  _

**“I'm fine. James is-** **_they're by the door you git -_ ** **James is a bit flustered. Mind if I go help him out, love? I'll text you in a minute.”**

_ “Sure.”  _

 

**[7:16 call: disconnected]**

 

**(7:25) I'm sorry for all that**

_ (8:25) I’m just glad you’re okay _

**(7:26) He's upset he was supposed to be there last night**

**(7:26) He'll get over it though**

**(7:26) He's gone now.**

_ (8:28) I have to go to class, but I’d appreciate the whole story. _

**(7:30) We were watching** **_Labyrinth_ ** **and you know I always get sleepy during the Escher scene and next thing I know I have a thousand blurry texts from you and I saw one of them said “call me” and who the hell am I to refuse that? So luckily all his things were already together by the door - well, most of them.**

**(7:31) So getting out was pretty easy.**

**(7:31) It was just really sudden.**

**(7:31) And now everything is too quiet too fast.**

**(7:33) Have fun in class**

**(7:33) Try to go to the right one**

 

_ (10:16) I give you my full support to do stupid things, and you two go and watch Labyrinth? _

_ (10:17) I won’t apologize for the thousand texts. I was worried, and I probably didn’t have a good basis to be, but I was, and I don’t know yet how to handle that from here. _

**(9:18) We party hard**

**(9:18) We meant to go out after and find mischief but that didn't pan out, did it?**

**(9:19) And I definitely wasn’t looking for an apology.**

_ (10:19) You’ll just have to find mischief next week, then  _

**(9:20) I have faith we will**

_ (10:20) Hmmm I don’t after this _

**(9:21) Really?**

**(9:21) One momentary lapse in mayhem and you doubt us?**

**(9:22) Does our reputation count for nothing?**

_ (10:23) What reputation?? _

**(9:23) You are ice cold.**

_ (10:23) Your fault _

**(10:23) How is it my fault that you’re heartless??**

_ (10:24) Oh, no, that one’s on me. But I blame you for being cold, because you’re not here to keep me warm. _

**(9:24) That’s fair**

_ (10:25) Class is starting, go do something _

  
  


_ (10:18) Settling in okay, Prongs? _

_ (10:18) Must be a bit difficult after such a wild night  _

**_(9:19) Are you really the right person to make fun of people for falling asleep at weird times in weird places?_ **

_ (10:20) I think I’m the perfect person for that. _

**_(9:20) Do I need to bring out The List?_ **

_ (10:21) Oh come on, let me enjoy this, I never get to be on the other side. _

**_(9:21) You may have one more gloat._ **

**_(9:21) Make it good_ **

_ (10:22) You fell asleep. You. James Potter. Fell asleep during Labyrinth on your last day in London. ON THE FLOOR _

**_(9:22) Feel better?_ **

_ (10:23) Much, thank you _

**_(10:24) Anytime_ **

  
  


[11:54 calling: Moony]

 

[11:54 no answer]

 

_ (13:01) Sorry, Wormy, I was in class. What’s up? _

(12:01) Well I don’t know, you’re the one who called me in the middle of the night.

_ (13:02) Oh, that! Yeah, sorry, was worried about Padfoot, thought you might know something. _

_ (13:02) Everything’s fine, don’t panic. _

(12:02) IS EVERYTHING OKAY???

_ (13:02) All good. _

(12:03) Okay, good.

_ (13:03) Wait, did you sleep til 12? _

(12:03) ...really, YOU’RE gonna judge people on their sleeping patterns?

_ (13:03) It's this new thing I do, apparently _

(12:04) It doesn’t suit you.

  
  
  


**(12:30) So on a scale from one to a million, how ridiculous do you think Prongs and I are?**

_ (13:34) 999,998 _

_ (13:34) Why? _

**(12:35) Is that all?**

**(12:35) Nice.**

**(12:35) Well, we were Skyping**

_ (13:35) How exciting. _

**(12:36) And then we decided to Skype forever.**

_ (13:37) You decided to skype forever. _

**(12:37) Yup.**

**(12:38) We're just going to leave it on. I mean we'll turn the computers off when we leave the respective flats, but whenever we're home, they'll just be there, on, just casually.**

_ (13:38) Okaaaay _

**(12:38) Would you like to adjust your scale?**

_ (13:39) 1,240,543 _

**(12:40) But like in a good way, right?**

_ (13:40) It’s very you. _

**(12:40) Somehow, that is not an answer**

_ (13:41) Yes, in a good way. _

**(12:41) Yeah?**

_ (13:41) Yes. _

**(12:42) Okay**

_ (13:42) So are you skyping right now? _

**(12:43) Maaaaaaybe**

**(12:43) Yes.**

_ (13:44) Do the laptops stay in the same room at all times, or do you carry them around everywhere? _

**(12:45) Haven't quite worked out the logistics yet. So far James has been leaving it and I've been carrying it, but you know my laptop is smaller.**

_ (13:45) Say hi for me _

**(12:46) He says hi but he's grumpy about it**

_ (13:47) Poor deer still not over this morning? _

**(12:48) I told him he should be grateful you woke us up, but he didn't like that either**

_ (13:49) Nah, I imagine he wouldn’t  _

**(12:50) I'm looking at his new place and it's weird**

_ (13:50) Weird weird or you're not there weird or weird imagining that that will be his home for the next few years? _

**(12:51) Yes and yes and also yes**

_ (13:51) In what way is it weird weird? _

**(12:52) Seeing him in a place I've never seen, trying to piece together the space around him. It doesn't make sense to my eyes.**

_ (13:53) It’ll get better once you visit him and spend some time there. _

**(12:53) Yeah**

**(12:54) That's how it was with you**

_ (13:56) I miss you. _

**(12:56) I miss you too**

_ (13:56) Not just saying it back? _

**(12:57) You know I'm not. This is hard and it's only getting harder.**

_ (13:57) I know _

_ (13:57) Sorry. _

**(12:58) There isn't anything to be sorry for**

_ (13:58) Okay. _

**(12:59) You love me?**

_ (13:59) I love you. _

**(13:00) Good.**

**(13:00) I love you too.**

_ (14:00) How much _

**(13:01) More than anything**

_ (14:01) Tell me in sappy clichés _

**(13:02) To the moon and back, I love you**

_ (14:02) Another _

**(13:02) I only have eyes for you**

_ (14:02) One more _

**(13:03) You are my life, my love, and my everything**

_ (14:03) Ditto. _

_ (14:03) Call me in the evening? _

**(13:04) I will**

 

_ (20:12) …….. _

  
  


**[19:12 Calling: Moony]**

 

_ “Hi!”  _

**“I'm sorry, we got caught up, I was going to call you before I fell asleep.”**

_ “You can call back later if you’re busy, I don’t mind.”  _

**“Too busy for Remus, when has that ever been a thing? How was your day?”**

_ “Good.”  _

**“I want to hear about your classes more.”**

_ “It’s mostly just been introductions so far, but they all sound amazing and I’m really excited for next week. ”  _

**“What about next week?”**

_ “For class.”  _

**“Which part, what about class are you excited for?”**

_ “Lit class, which book we’ll be reading, everything in Creative writing, actually attending my elective. Definitely not excited for Statistics or the group project we’ll apparently have to do in Social psych.”  _

**“Sounds about right. You're going to have a great semester, you nerd.”**

_ “Yeah, I hope so.”  _

**“I know so. How's the new friend?”**

_ “Trying to drag me out to a party.”  _

**“Oooh, a party! You should go!”**

_ “Or I could have an early night.”  _

**“Moonyyyy why are you such an old person? Go to a party!”**

_ “I’m tired. I had classes all day and I got less than two hours of sleep last night. I just want to go to bed.”  _

**“Also you've been spoiled. A party without me would be dreadfully dull. And also James and Peter I suppose, but mostly me, really.”**

_ “Sure, sure, that too.” _

**“Would you like to go to sleep then?”**

_ “Kinda, yeah.” _

**“Tell me you love me before you go.”**

_ “I love you.” _

**“I love you too. Sweet dreams, my lame, lame boyfriend.”**

_ “‘Night. Talk tomorrow.” _

**“Goodnight.”**

 

**[19:17 call ended]**

  
  


SATURDAY

 

**(9:12) Moonymoonymoonymoony**

_ (10:12) What. _

**(9:12) Hi**

_ (10:12) No. Sleep. Go away. _

**(9:13) Rude.**

 

_ (11:56) Hi _

**(10:56) Oh nooooooow you'll speak to me?**

_ (11:57) I’m awake now _

**(10:57) Well I should hope so, it's only barely still morning for you**

_ (11:57) I don’t see why that would matter _

_ (11:58) Don’t know when you all agreed that getting up early in the mornings when you don’t absolutely have to was a good idea, but I sure as hell never signed up for it _

**(10:58) “you all"**

**(10:58) Who is “you all" here, Moony?**

**(10:59) Is “you all" the entirety of society?**

**(10:59) Because I think that might be hard to narrow down**

_ (12:00) I’ve changed my mind _

_ (12:00) It’s still too early for this _

_ (12:00) I’m going back to bed _

**(11:00) Nooooo don't go**

_ (12:01) Stop being mean to me, then _

**(11:01) Fine fine fine fine fine**

_ (12:02) You at Oxford yet? _

**(11:03) Leaving here to go there in a few minutes**

_ (12:03) Bit late _

**(11:04) He's at a lunch thing now, if I'd gone earlier he wouldn't have been around**

_ (12:04) Count on him to start socializing the minute he gets there _

**(11:05) Well YOU had the opportunity to but nooooooo, you needed to sleep**

_ (12:05) That’s because sleep is the better option _

**(11:06) But why sleep when you could do literally anything else???**

_ (12:06) It's nice  _

**(11:06) But it takes so much tiiime**

_ (12:07) Mhm _

**(11:07) So lame.**

**(11:07) Weekend plans???**

_ (12:07) Do indeed involve more sleep, yes. _

**(11:08) You know I think you sleep so much just to hurt me**

_ (12:08) If you must know, there’s another party happening tonight and I might attend this one _

**(11:09) Yesssssssssss**

_ (12:09) Maybe  _

**(11:10) YOU went away for school. This is YOUR responsibility. Pete and I need to live vicariously through your fancy school experiences - yours and James’**

_ (12:10) There’s nothing fancy about a uni party _

**(11:11) It's fancier than my lonely arse sitting here feeling sorry for myself**

_ (12:11) You’ll be with James in less than an hour _

**(11:12) Exactly. Living vicariously. That's not MY experience. I'm merely an observer.**

_ (12:12) Okay, that’s it _

_ (12:12) I’m calling bullshit.\\\\\\\ _

_ (12:13) Sirius Black, an observer? Puh-lease. _

_ (12:13) It is your experience. It’s your experience of visiting your best friend. And next week it’s gonna be his of visiting you, because you’re huge fucking nerds who can’t function properly when you’re apart for too long. _

_ (12:14) Just because your uni is in London and you didn’t have to move out of our flat, it doesn’t mean you won’t have a great time. _

_ (12:14) You love London. You love our flat. You’ll love your school. You have Pete there. You’re gonna have a great time. _

_ (12:14) So if you could just stop feeling sorry for yourself for three seconds and see that, that’d be great. _

_ (12:15) I know that it’s hard, and that you miss us, and we miss you too, but you have got to stop thinking like your life is any less of an adventure now, just because you get to live it in a familiar place. _

_ (12:15) You weren’t left behind. _

**(11:19) Yeah**

_ (12:19) It’ll feel better on Monday when classes start, I promise. _

**(11:20) Yeah**

**(11:20) I know I know**

**(11:20) Thank you Moony**

_ (12:20) I love you, Sirius. _

**(11:21) I love you too**

_ (12:21) Don’t sit by a window _

**(11:22) I can't take another windowless ride!!!**

_ (12:22) At least try not to puke on anyone then _

**(11:23) I'll do my best**

**(11:23) No promises**

_ (12:24) Good enough _

**(11:25) Going now, I'll tell you when I'm there**

_ (12:25) Alright _

_ (12:25) Have a safe trip _

 

**(12:41) I hate traveling alone I hate traveling alone I hate traveling alone**

**(12:41) I love road trips I love seeing new places and smelling new smells and doing new things**

**(12:41) But I loved doing them with all of you. This is decidedly and abruptly Not With All of You**

**(12:41) I know you said to stop feeling sorry for myself**

**(12:41) And I know these won't send until I'm at the station because reception is shite here**

**(12:41) You're right I know you're right, James’ll be home on weekends and I'll go there and Pete is basically walking distance**

**(12:41) I loved last year. Being with you guys all the time**

**(12:41) It was the best**

**(12:41) And I'm scared it won't be that good ever again.**

**(12:41) No that's bollocks I know**

**(12:41) I'm rambling out of boredom really, don't mind me**

**(12:41) The person two rows up is Aesthetically Pleasing, Moony, you would love to see them**

**(12:41) I'm tempted to ask if I can take their picture**

**(12:41) I'm gonna do it**

**(12:41) Okay so she wasn't comfortable with having her picture taken but we talked for like a half hour she's so cool**

**(12:41) We're almost here now**

**(12:41) And I've run down my battery talking at you and listening to music**

**(12:41) I'm going to save the rest of it for when I get there so I can text you all about how much I love you**

**(12:41) Hello, I love you!**

**(12:41) I'm here safely**

**(12:42) You know it's very rude when people aren't here at the station to greet me with the kisses I deserve**

**(12:42) You're much better at that and I'm telling Prongs so at the earliest convenience.**

**(12:43) Which would be if he ever shows up**

_ (13:43) I’m sure he’ll be there in no time _

_ (13:43) And I’m glad you know all of that’s bollocks, of course it’s gonna be that good again. And better. _

_ (13:43) And I love you too. _

**(12:44) My phone is going to die before he gets here and then he'll never find me and I'm going to perish waiting at this stupid station**

**(12:44) Once I am gone from this world promise me you will avenge me**

**(12:45) Make sure he pays**

**(12:45) Okay he's here now, nevermind**

**(12:45) Put a pin in that vengeance thing, don't totally throw it away yet**

_ (13:46) Pin pinned. _

_ (13:46) Have a great day _

 

_ (21:05) I’m going to the party _

_ (21:05) Mostly just letting you know so you can see how wrong you are and I am not, in fact, a lame old person _

_ (21:05) Anyway _

 

_ (21:34) Sorry, Reg saw me and demanded I change into something more “party appropriate” _ _   
_ _ (21:34) And here I thought I had escaped the Black fashion police  _

_ (21:35) ANYWAY _

_ (21:35) Leaving the phone behind in hopes to avoid drunk texting and try to actually be social not just sit in a corner all night _

_ (21:35) I’ll text you later when I’m back so you know I’m okay. Love you. _

 

**(22:53) Hope you're having fun! And remind me to thank Reg later**

**(22:53) I love you**

 

_ (2:43) BOYFRIEND!!!!! _

_ (2:43) ARE YOU UP ARE YOU AWAKE _

**(1:43) Good gods, how did you manage to hurt my ears through a text message??**

**(1:43) Yes I am awake, hello**

_ (2:44) yEEEEEEEEEEEESSSS _

_ (2:44) missed you _

_ (2:44) and your lap _

_ (2:44) i had nowhere to sit all night _

_ (2:44) and then Gid made me dance and i tripped _

_ (2:45) but im okay dontcha worry _

**(1:46) You danced? At a party?**

**(1:46) In which I didn't beg you?**

**(1:46) I'm so impressed**

_ (2:46) I diiiid _

**(1:47) And how much did you drink?**

_ (2:47) a lil bit _

**(1:48) Uh huh**

**(1:48) So much for avoiding drunk texting**

_ (2:48) ooooh excuse me would you like me to leave??? _

**(1:49) Nonononononono**

**(1:49) The effort was valiant, please don't go**

_ (1:49) hmmm okay since it’s you i won’t _

_ (1:49) but only because it’s you _

_ (1:49) and you’re cute and i love you and i wanna talk to you always _

**(1:50) I accept this, this is perfectly okay with me**

**(1:50) You're not texting anyone else then?**

_ (2:50) only you <3 _

**(1:51) Oh AND I get a heart**

**(1:51) I feel special**

_ (2:51) as many as you want _

_ (2:51) you are special _

_ (2:51) the specialest _

_ (2:51) no _

_ (2:52) specialist _

_ (2:52) no _

_ (2:52) the most special _

_ (2 _ _ :52) yes _

_ (2:52) <3 _

**(1:53) I am a specialist.**

**(1:53) I specialize in adoring drunk boyfriends**

**(1:53) Well, one. Mine, to be specific.**

**(1:54) Tell me more about the party, who's Gid?**

_ (2:54) the cuter twin _

**(1:54) Alright, start with that**

_ (2:54) was their party, and Fabian’s _

_ (2:54) ginger _

_ (2:55) great dancer, you’d like them _

_ (2:55) talks too much about football, Prongs’d like them _

**(1:56) They sound fantastic**

**(1:56) Sounds like we went to the wrong party tonight, should've come to yours**

_ (2:56) yours not good? _

**(1:57) Oh it was fine, it was an official uni event, so there were nametags and no drinking**

_ (2:57) how many people questioned your name this time? _

**(1:57) 6**

_ (2:57) not too bad _

_ (2:58) 2  _

**(1:58) Not bad at all**

**(1:58) But more importantly, how many asked the Romulus question?**

_ (2:59) ……...like nine _

**(1:59) There it is**

_ (2:59) hey, Sirius? _

**(2:00) Yes?**

**(2:13) You fell asleep didn't you?**

**(2:14) What if that was important????**

**(2:14) Bet it was**

**(2:14) I bet you were going to ask me out or something**

**(2:14) Oh wait**

**(2:15) But still, there's no way you'll remember when you wake up**

**(2:15) I love you, you impossible nerd**

  
  


SUNDAY

 

_ (15:11) I love you too _

**(14:12) Tell me you did not just wake up**

_ (15:12) Wake up? No no no _

_ (15:12) This is just a going to the bathroom in the middle of the night thing _

_ (15:12) Then going right back to bed _

**(14:13) Middle of the night.**

**(14:13) Remuuuuuus**

_ (15:13) Shhhh  _

**(14:14) Rude**

 

_ (18:04) Good morning _

**(17:05) Good god**

_ (18:07) Yes, do you wish to ask for a favour? _

_ (18:07) You may proceed with your request, but please, call me Remus, we’ve known each other for quite a while now, no need to be so official _

**(17:08) Wow**

_ (18:08) How's your day going, love?  _

**(17:09) Excellent**

**(17:09) Learning campus**

_ (18:09) Glad to hear it. _

**(17:10) Everything is so nice here**

**(17:10) I wanna break something.**

_ (18:10) Resist the urge. _

**(17:11) Howwww**

_ (18:11) Look at pretty things and enjoy them for what they are. _

**(17:12) I gueeess**

_ (18:12) Good boy. _

**(17:13) Woof**

_ (18:13) I’m gonna go try to find some breakfast. _

**(17:14) You cannot call it breakfast**

**(17:14) Go find dinner**

**(17:14) Find something yummy**

_ (18:15) Breakfast. And I’m sure I will. _

 

_ (19:04) I did. _

_ (19:05) Are you going back tonight or early morning? _

**(18:08) Tonight**

**(18:08) I finally have a valid reason not to bare witness to The Annual Potter First Day Freakout**

**(18:08) I'm going to honour it**

_ (19:09) Probably for the best. _

**(18:10) I'm going to go spend the rest of my time with him**

**(18:10) I'll tell you when I'm getting on the train?**

_ (19:11) I’d appreciate that. Have fun, tell him I say hi. _

 

**(21:04) I am boarding a train in a minute**

_ (22:04) Have a safe trip, love. _

**(21:05) Thank you**

**(21:05) And James says hi and also bye**

_ (22:05) Bye _

_ (22:12) I hate this. _

 

**(22:31) Back safe**

**(22:31) I know, me too**

_ (23:33) Think it’ll get easier? _

**(22:33) It will. It has to.**

_ (23:33) Yeah. I hope so. _

_ (23:34) But _

_ (23:34) Never mind. _

_ (23:34) So you didn’t throw up on anyone? _

**(22:35) No buts, talk to me?**

**(22:41) Remus?**

_ (23:42) It’s just. What if it gets easier because we stop missing each other that much? I don’t want to not miss you. It sucks, yes, but it’s. I don’t know. The appropriate feeling. I hate it, but at the same time it’s right. _

**(22:43) I'm never going to stop missing you if you're not with me. That's not going to happen**

_ (23:43) I don’t see how it could, but I can’t shake the awful feeling. _

**(22:44) It won't**

**(22:44) I can promise you that**

_ (23:44) Wish you were here. _

**(22:45) Just say the word, you know**

_ (23:45) I know. _

_ (23:45) I should let you get to bed, you must be tired. _

**(22:46) Knackered**

_ (23:46) Talk to you in the morning, then. Sweet dreams. _

  
  


MONDAY

 

_ (8:59) Rise and shine, it’s your first day of school! _

**(8:00) Or**

**(8:00) I could lie in bed and pretend I'm not here**

_ (9:00) You can’t miss your first day, Pads. _

**(8:01) No fair**

_ (9:01) Shush, I’m in class. _

_ (9:01) And you better be too when I hear from you next. _

_ (9:01) Wait, no _

_ (9:01) Don’t text in class! _

_ (9:01) You know what I mean. _

 

**(9:03) As per your request, I am now texting you from class**

**(9:03) You're gonna get me in trouble, don't know why you told me to do this**

**(9:03) But I am nothing if not obedient!**

**(9:03) So here I am.**

**(9:04) Texting you.**

**(9:04) From class.**

**(9:04) Basic Design I**

 

_ (10:41) You’re the worst. _

_ (10:41) You better not reply to this until you’re out. _

**(9:43) ;)**

_ (10:43) NO. _

**(9:44) ;) ;)**

_ (10:44) STOP. _

**(9:47) ;)**

_ (10:47) Alright, I’ll stop. _

**(9:48) ;)**

_ (10:48) You don’t even know how to wink!! _

**(9:55) Oi!!**

_ (10:56) You know it’s true. _

**(9:59) Salt in my wounds, Moony**

_ (11:00) Aww, poor Padfoot. _

**(10:12) So poor**

_ (11:13) My heart aches for you. _

**(10:18) I'm telling my boyfriend on you**

_ (11:18) Oh no I’m shaking _

**(10:23) You should be he's like three stories tall and he's really protective of me so you'd better watch out**

_ (11:24) Tell me more so I can keep an eye out for him _

**(10:32) You'll probably know by the freckles**

**(10:32) Or the curls**

**(10:33) Or the fact that he's mumbling to himself while he walks**

**(10:33) Those are usually the**

_ (11:33) I do not mumble to myself. _

**(10:40) Sorry for the interruption, I'm out of class now**

**(10:40) Oh, love**

**(10:40) You do**

**(10:40) You definitely do**

_ (11:41) Do not. _

**(10:42) You do and it's the best**

_ (11:42) Hmph. _

_ (11:42) How am I supposed to argue when you put it like that!? _

**(10:43) Hah!**

**(10:43) You're not, that's how**

_ (11:43) I don’t like it when you win. _

**(10:44) Do not**

_ (11:44) Fiiiiine I’ll let you have this. _

**(10:45) Yesssssss**

_ (11:45) I know how important it is that I let you win every few months, or you get all grumpy on me. _

**(10:46) See, now that's just rude**

_ (11:46) But true. _

**(10:47) Whateverrr you can't take my win from me**

_ (11:47) I mean _

_ (11:47) I totally could if I wanted to, we both know that. _

**(10:48) Doooooon’t**

_ (11:48) I won’t. _

**(10:48) And class was boring, thanks for asking**

_ (11:49) Hoooow was your claaaass? _

**(10:49) Oh, it was fine, how sweet of you to inquire**

_ (11:49) You know me, always sweet _

_ (11:50) People nice? _

**(10:50) People annoyingly quiet, but not bad**

_ (11:50) You mean they were paying attention. _

**(10:51) Yes, that**

**(10:51) It was awful**

_ (11:51) How awful of them. _

**(10:52) Dreadful**

_ (11:52) How dare they try to learn _

_ (11:52) How dare they not get distracted by your outstanding charm, wit, and good looks _

**(10:53) EXACTLY**

**(10:53) Why do I even bother?**

_ (11:53) No clue _

_ (11:53) Personally I think you should quit and move away _

_ (11:53) Never look back _

**(10:54) If I tried you'd talk me out of it**

_ (11:54) Yes, but only because I know this is what you want. _

**(10:55) Alas, it is**

**(10:55) I think I'm going to go exploring, I'll talk to you later though?**

_ (11:55) Alright, love; have fun. _

**(10:57) Thank youuuuu**

 

_ (15:34) Still exploring? _

**(14:38) Yesss**

_ (15:38) Shall I leave you to it? _

**(14:40) No reason to**

**(14:40) Now exploring with the company of Alice**

_ (15:40) Hi Alice _

**(14:41) “Hello, Remus”**

**(14:41) She'd probably ask how you are if I'd shut up about you long enough for her to get a word in.**

_ (15:42) How much could there possibly be to say about me? _

**(14:44) I think you'd be surprised**

_ (15:44) Were you at least polite enough to ask about Frankie in return? _

**(14:47) Don't have to, been hearing about him anyway**

**(14:47) She's nearly as bad as me**

_ (15:48) No wonder you’ve been exploring your tiny campus for hours. _

**(14:49) Well sorry we can't all have entire new countries to explore**

**(14:49) We're just being very thorough**

_ (15:49) Found anything nice? _

**(14:50) Nothing particularly new**

_ (15:50) I am shocked. _

**(14:57) Moony**

**(14:57) Moony.**

**(14:57) M oo n y.**

**(14:58) I was so so wrong.**

**(14:58) So wrong**

**(14:58) There has been a fantastic new development**

_ (15:59) Do tell. _

**(14:59) Evans.**

_ (16:02) As in Lily? She’s there?  _ _   
_ _ (16:02) Hi, Lily. _

**(15:04) Ohhhh no**

**(15:04) Not here**

_ (16:10) Are you waiting for me to ask?  _

**(15:11) Well obviously!**

_ (16:11) Where’s Lily and how do you know and why is this exciting _

_ (16:11) ? _

**(15:12) Welllll since you asked**

**(15:12) Evans**

**(15:12) Is at school**

**(15:12) Her school**

**(15:12) With Prongs**

**(15:12) Same school**

_ (16:13) I need a moment. _

**(15:13) Mhm mhm take your time**

_ (16:17) Lily’s at Oxford? _

**(15:17) Yep!**

_ (16:17) At Oxford. Where James is. _

**(15:17) Yes.**

_ (16:18) Does he know?? _

_ (16:18) Does SHE know??? _

**(15:19) No and nope and we're not going to tell them**

_ (16:19) Mean! _

_ (16:19) I like it. _

**(15:20) It's my WWMD plan**

_ (16:20) In other words, the only right plan. _

**(15:20) I'd fight you but yeah**

_ (16:20) This is going to be such a lovely disaster. _

**(15:21) That's all I'm hoping for**

_ (16:21) I can just see him falling down the stairs  _

_ (16:21) Or dropping all his books _

_ (16:21) Spilling coffee all over himself _

**(15:22) You're a terrible friend**

**(15:22) But also strangely attractive right now**

_ (16:22) I knew you only ever kept me around for my good looks. _

**(15:23) I'm sorry you had to find out this way**

_ (16:23) Don’t worry, I’ve had my suspicions in the past. _

**(15:23) And I'm offended you only think they're “good” looks**

_ (16:24) Well how would you describe them? _

**(15:24) Brilliant**

**(15:24) Excellent**

**(15:24) Fantastic**

**(15:25) Godly**

_ (16:25) Uuu godly, that’s a new one. _

**(15:27) Godly.**

_ (16:27) Guess it makes sense then, that you’d keep me around for those. _

**(15:27) Of course, those and no other reasons.**

_ (16:32) Tell me the other reasons. _

**(15:32) You're the smartest person I know, you know**

**(15:32) I keep you around because your mind is an adventure**

**(15:32) I'm all about adventure, Moonbeam**

_ (16:34) Plus, you love me.  _

**(15:35) Plus I love you.**

_ (16:35) I love you too. _

**(15:36) A wonderful thing**

_ (16:36) Yes, you are. _

**(15:37) Call me before bed?**

_ (16:37) Will do. _

 

_ [20:14 calling: Padfoot] _

 

**“You can’t possibly be going to sleep already.”**

_ “You said call before bed, not before sleep.”  _

**“Then I'll rephrase: you can't possibly be going to bed already.”**

_ “Can too. I’m still working on things, but bed is better than the chair, I still haven’t figured out a way to make it comfier.”  _

**“Easy, let me sit first.”**

_ “But you’re not heeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrre.” _

**“Well that's beside the point.”**

_ “Really, how?” _

**“In that it makes me sad so I'm not going to think about it. What are you working on?”**

_ “A short story.” _

**“Intriguing, what's it about?”**

_ “Me.” _

**_“_ ** **Read it to me.”**

_ “There’s nothing to read yet.” _

**“Then tell me first and write it later. Like practice.”**

_ “But I don’t know what to write, it’s a stupid assignment so that the professor can ‘get the feel of who we are’. Why does he need to know us? I don’t want to talk about me, I don’t want to write about me, I just want to write and I want him to teach. That’s his job, isn’t it, teaching? That’s what he’s supposed to do, that’s why we call him professor, that’s why he gets the big desk in front of the class, because he’s the teacher? Not that he uses it of course, no, he likes walking around too much. Which would be fine with me, you know, walk around the classroom if you prefer that, but then don’t fucking whisper so that only the two closest persons to you at that moment hear you and the rest of us leave with huge gaps in our notes. I mean, would it really be that hard to-” _

**“Remus.”**

_ “What?” _

**“Take a breath?”**

_ “I don’t have time for breaths, I need to hand this in tomorrow. Because why give us more time, right, it’s not like we’re taking any other classes and have assignments there as well, nooo.” _

**“I need you to make time for breaths, you breathing is somewhat important to me. What were you thinking writing about?”**

_ “My lifelong hate for shite teachers.” _

**“Well then, make it good. Details. Which horrible teachers are you going to use as examples?”**

_ “Slughorn. Binns. That awful woman from pre-school whose name I refuse to utter. The entire faculty of my primary.” _

**“Good, now start talking about them.”**

_ “I don’t want to talk about them.” _

**“What would you like to talk about, then?”**

_ “Nothing.” _

**“Alright, then Plan B. Make it up.”**

_ “You want me to lie about who I am?” _

**“Who cares? It's one professor and you say he's a shite professor anyway, so what does it matter if you get a bit creative with it?”**

_ “I care.” _

**“Why?”**

_ “Because.” _

**“Why?”**

_ “Because!” _

**“Excellent point, I can’t possibly argue with that.”**

_ “It would feel like I’m hiding! It would feel like I’m hiding, and I don’t want to hide. I’m proud of who I am, every part of me, and it took me long to get to this point, and I know it might still not seem like I am sometimes, but I am, I’m proud.” _

**“I know, Moony. I know you are.”**

_ “Then don’t ask me to lie.” _

**“Okay... But if you don’t want to hide, then why not just write it all?”**

_ “Because I don’t want to. I’m not ready to share with the whole class yet, I don’t know these people, I don’t trust them. And I should be allowed to share when I’m ready, or not at all, because really, it’s none of anyone’s business.”  _

**“I ag-”**

_ “But this feels like I’m being forced to, like I have to write some sort of disclosure so that everyone can know who they’re associating with.” _

**“Remus.”**

_ “I know it’s not like that, rationally, I know. I know it’s just a fun ‘let’s get to know each other’ assignment, but it feels like more.” _

**“Maybe whether it's more or not is up to you.”**

_ “Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh. Can you rant a bit with me before you start making sense?” _

**“Of course I can. This professor sounds like an arse, he doesn't know you and he's not willing to put in the time to knowing you, he's trying to take a cheap shortcut and he's only going to get stories handed in that paint the picture his students want him to see, and he probably knows this but doesn't care enough to, say, form his own opinions via your writing and maybe assign this towards the end of the term.”**

_ “I love you. Thank you.”  _

**“I love you too and I'm sorry you have to do the assignment.”**

_ “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll try to… I don’t know. I’ll figure something out.” _

**“You always do.”**

_ “I better get to it.” _

**“Good luck, yeah? And don’t stay up all night because of it, get some sleep.”**

_ “I’m sorry we didn’t really talk.” _

**“It’s okay, go work, we’ll catch up more tomorrow.”**

_ “Alright. Goodnight?” _

**“‘Night, love.”**

 

_ [20:36 call disconnected] _

 

**(19:36) I love you. You’ve got this.**

 

_ (2:28) Check your email and tell me what you think. _

  
  


TUESDAY

 

**(7:32) Hello, good morning, your paper is brilliant and so are you**

_ (8:32) Yeah? _

**(7:33) Yeah. When does that get turned in?**

_ (8:33) 27 minutes, so if there’s something you think needs changing tell me quickly. _

**(7:34) I think it's perfect, turn it in.**

_ (8:34) Are you sure? _

_ (8:34) I need you to be sure. _

_ (8:34) Because I was too scared to reread it in the morning, and I don’t fully trust my 2am self. _

**(7:35) If you're okay with being this personal then yes, it's perfect and stop overthinking it**

_ (8:38) Okay. _

_ (8:38) Thank you. _

**(7:38) Anytime**

_ (8:38) Really. Thank you. _

**(7:39) Really. Anytime. Of any day.**

_ (8:39) I love you. _

**(7:40) Gosh, really?**

_ (8:43) Don’t do that, not right now. _

**(7:43) I love you, Remus**

_ (8:43) Leave me another one of those for when I get out of class. _

**(7:44) Will do**

  
  


**(8:03) I love you**

**(8:03) I love you**

**(8:03) I love you**

**(8:03) I love you**

**(8:03) I love you**

**(8:03) I love you**

**(8:03) I love you**

**(8:03) I love you**

**(8:03) I love you**

**(8:03) I hope your phone is on silent this time**

**(8:03) I love you**

**(8:03) I love you**

**(8:03) I love you**

**(8:03) I love you**

**(8:03) I love you**

**(8:03) I love you**

**(8:03) I love you**

 

_ (10:41) You’re the best. _

**(9:45) True.**

_ (10:45) Though one might argue that I asked for an ‘I love you, Remus’ and that you did not deliver. _

**(9:45) Remus, I love you**

**(9:45) Remus, I love you**

**(9:45) Remus, I love you**

**(9:45) Remus, I love you**

**(9:46) Remus, I love you**

**(9:46) Remus, I love you**

**(9:46) Remus, I love you**

**(9:46) Remus, I love you**

**(9:46) Remus, I love you**

**(9:46) Remus, I love you**

**(9:46) Remus, I love you**

**(9:46) Remus, I love you**

**(9:46) Remus, I love you**

**(9:46) Remus, I love you**

**(9:46) Remus, I love you**

**(9:46) Remus, I love you**

**(9:46) Remus, I love you**

**(9:46) Remus, I love you**

**(9:46) Remus, I love you**

**(9:46) Remus, I love you**

_ (10:47) …...are you quite done? _

**(9:47) Remus, I love you**

**(9:47) Not nearly, but I'll stop for now**

_ (10:48) I love you x37 too. Just by the way. _

**(9:48) oh thank you**

_ (10:48) Though I’d love you more if you’d word it like I asked you to. _

**(9:49) Am I being graded on this assignment, Professor Moony???**

_ (10:49) Yes. And that’s Professor Lupin to you. _

**(9:50) Amazing**

 

_ (12:20) I truly am, I know. _

**(11:22) I mean, I agree, but I'm still going to pout about it**

_ (12:22) Yeah, I saw your instagram. _

_ (12:22) Very adorable. _

**(11:23) So true**

_ (12:23) Very kissable. _

**(11:23) So SO kissable**

_ (12:26) Very far away. _

**(11:27) So far.**

_ (12:27) I miss you. _

**(11:28) I miss you too**

**(11:28) Lots**

_ (12:28) Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh _

**(11:29) I second that**

_ (12:29) Can we skype later? _

**(11:29) Yes??????**

_ (12:30) It won’t interfere with your endless call with Prongs?  _

**(11:31) nahhh, we'll just pause that briefly**

_ (12:33) Okay, but it won’t be a short briefly  _

**(11:33) Good.**

**(11:33) It's perfectly fine. I'll let him know ahead of time**

_ (12:34) He can join in later and we can have a group call, get Pete in as well? _

_ (12:34) Would like to see them too. _

_ (12:34) I just need a bit before that to gush about your pretty face in peace. _

_ (12:34) Only like _

_ (12:35) One h _

_ (12:35) Three hours. _

**(11:35) Only three?????**

_ (12:36) Well I plan to gush for a few after that, I just won’t be so explicit about it. _

**(11:36) Hmph.**

_ (12:36) 6 your time? _

**(11:37) I'll be there**

_ (12:37) It’s a date. _

**(11:38) Ooooooooohhhhhh a date**

_ (12:38) Yes _

_ (12:38) Dress nice _

**(11:39) YOU are telling ME to dress nice???**

_ (12:39) That’s right. _

**(11:40) What is life**

_ (12:40) The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines ‘life’ as... _

**(11:40) Oh for the love of goodness**

_ (12:40) See you at 6 ;) _

 

MOONY IS CALLING

 

ANSWERED WITH VIDEO CHAT

 

There was an awful moment during which the screen was perfectly black and Sirius was sure it wasn’t going to work. Then Remus’s face began to form from the disjointed pixels until he was there, perfect in front of him.

“Can you see me? Sirius?”

“I see you, Pumpkin. You can’t see me?”

“No- Oh. There you are! Oh you look fantastic, hi.”

“Hi,” Sirius allowed himself a moment to take Remus in. Argyle jumper, pulled up to his neck, lip between his teeth. The absence of his physical warmth made Sirius ache. “I miss you.”

Remus’s smile was sad. “I miss you, too. It’s really good to see your face.”

“I wore the lip colour you said you liked that one time,” Sirius’s lips formed a kiss for better viewing.

“Oh, believe me, I see that. I like all your colours.” 

They sat quietly for a few moments. Sirius was stuck. He couldn’t think of anything except ‘I miss you, I miss you, I miss you, I want you to come home, your pillow doesn’t smell like you anymore and I need you to come here and rub your face on it until it does again, I miss you’. “How are classes?” 

“They’re fine. As good as I’ve been telling you about.”

“Good.”

More silence.

“Have you selected a sacred tree yet?” He tried again.

Remus shrugged and the picture lagged. “There’s one with a really thick trunk and comfortable roots, but it’s close to an administrative building. So I’ve been sitting at it, but I can still hear people. It’s not ideal.”

“There must be a better one.” 

“I’m still searching. I don’t think this one is The One.”

Quiet.

Remus let out a loud and frustrated huff. “What is wrong with us? It hasn’t been that long, why is this so awful?”

“We had it too good. We had each other every minute of every day too long,” Sirius sighed and pushed away from the computer a bit.

“We’re going to have that again, right?” Remus’s voice was too small.

“I promise we will. Once school is done we’ll never have to do it again.” Remus nodded at his words, but he still was looking too low on his screen. 

“Tell me about your classes?”

“Well, I’m really mad about Design I,” Sirius huffed quietly, recalling his annoyance with himself from earlier that day.

“Mad about it?” Remus asked.

Sirius launched off. “Yeah, mad. Because it was boring, it was the most boring. It was a shite dry lecture given by a professor who clearly once loved the material but forgot what that was like a million years ago. And I tried to start conversations with desk neighbors and the most I got was a half a smile from the cute girl to my right but I’m pretty sure it was a pity smile. And I just wanted it to be over the whole time it was happening, I sketched and sketched and didn’t write a single word of notes unless you count how I wrote ‘Notes’ at the top of the page. The lecture was like chalk dust in my brain, it was all about these principles and the stupid white men who came up with them.”

“Okay, so frustrating, but mad?”

“Mad! Because all day today I couldn’t stop thinking about our Map and Hogwarts and how those theories apply to the things we learned about in the architectural design!”

“Infuriating!”

“It is!”

The mood was significantly less heavy after that. They chatted about classes and homework loads and about Alice. They debated whether James would die on the spot or just merely faint when he saw Lily at his school the first time. Things felt more and more normal as the evening wore on, but every once in while, Sirius would laugh very hard and lean forward like he usually did to rest his head against Remus’s arm, or Remus would look just a little too long at Sirius’s face and his smile would falter. It was better, but it wasn’t enough.

At half seven, Sirius stood, stretched, and walked over to the bookshelf he’d set his tea on earlier. 

“Sirius.”

“Mhm?” 

“Sirius?”

“What?”

“What the fuck are you wearing?!” Remus’s voice rose in pitch with every word.

Sirius looked down and remembered what he’d changed into. “Oh, right. What? They’re just trousers.”

“Sirius, I can see through them!”

“Only one leg.”

“All the way through them!”

Sirius checked and adjusted himself. Everything that should have been covered seemed to be. The trousers in question were high-waisted and skin-tight around one leg, while the other was,essentially, exposed. 

“You said to wear something nice. These aren’t nice?”

“No, no. They’re very very very nice. When did you even get those?”

Sirius shrugged. “Found them buried in the skirt drawer."

“And this is your idea of proper date apparel?”

“And yours is that horrible jumper?!”

There was a disturbance on Remus’s end. 

“Evening, Rem-oh my goodness, I’m sorry! I’ll come back later!”

“Reg, what? You can come in,” Remus sat up, face out of view of the camera for the moment, though Sirius had a rather nice view of his collar bone, washed in blue with the light of the laptop. 

“You’re… you’re not… busy?”

“No? It’s only Sirius- Sirius, say hi.”

“Hi, Reggie!”

“Yes but… you’re in bed so I thought…”

“You thought- Oh! Reg, no! Oh my god, relax, please. Just talking. See? Clothes on. Do you want to say hi?”

Sirius clapped a hand over his mouth and ducked out of view of the webcam, trying not to laugh. 

The picture distorted with the movement of the laptop and Reg’s face resolved onto the screen. 

“Hey, Reg,” Sirius waved. They smiled back, still looking a bit flustered. 

They were about to say something when the next disturbance occurred on Sirius’s end. The front door opened and shut.

“Hullo!” Peter hollered from the entryway and quickly made his way to the dining room where Sirius had himself set up. 

“Pete! What are you doing?” Sirius pulled him down into a hug.

“Oh that’s nice, good to see you, too, Padfoot.”

“Well you’re supposed to be on Skype with us in like a few minutes!”

“Sirius, I’m not going to Skype with you, you live ten minutes away, that’s stupid. We’ll do it from here together,” he said like it was the only thing that made sense.

Sirius pouted while Peter formally introduced himself to Reg and caught up with Remus. 

Eventually Reg left the dorm, off to study someplace more quiet, and James joined the conversation. His face was caked with sweat-streaked paint from some game or another. Or maybe it was just a really good Tuesday. 

He regaled them with the entirety of the match he’d just been to while Sirius watched Remus drifting closer and closer to sleep. His eyes drooped and the stress lines in his face softened. Sirius’s chest hurt, he could physically feel himself falling in love with him all over again. 

He let James and Peter talk and talk while he enjoyed the comfort of their presence until Remus’s laptop died. He looked at the clock and at the blank part of the screen where Remus’s sleeping face had been. “It’s kind of late,” he stretched himself out, knocking Peter in the back of the head by accident. “Oops, sorry. But I think I’m going to turn in.”

“Yeah, I’ve got a long day tomorrow,” James agreed. “Up at four thirty, training until just about when class starts.”

“Gross,” Peter pulled a face. 

“I love you both. Petey, you staying there the night?” James asked.

Peter looked over at Sirius, who nodded. The idea of him leaving and Sirius having to spend a night alone was too much.

“Yup,” Peter nodded.

“Good. Hug each other for me,” James instructed and blew them both goodnight kisses before he, too, exited the chat.

  
  


WEDNESDAY

 

_ (8:46) I don’t remember falling asleep. _

**(7:50) Oh but you did**

**(7:50) In the middle of a Prongs anecdote**

**(7:50) Wasn't offended, don't worry**

_ (8:51) So I didn’t miss much? _

**(7:51) No, not much**

_ (8:51) It was really good being together like that. _

_ (8:52) Think we could do it more often? _

**(7:52) Absolutely**

**(7:52) Could make it a weekly staple?**

_ (8:53) Yes, please. _

**(7:53) I'll spread the word**

**(7:54) So did you manage to make it to pyjamas at any point in the evening?**

_ (8:56) Uhhh nope _

**(7:56) Moonyyyyyy**

_ (8:56) I know I know I know _

**(7:57) What to do with you**

_ (8:57) Love me. _

**(7:57) Oh that, that I can do**

_ (8:58) All good, then. _

**(7:58) I do, you know**

_ (8:58) Love me? _

_ (8:59) I know. _

**(7:59) Good**

**(8:00) Classes today?**

_ (9:00) Running to them now _

**(8:00) “Running”**

_ (9:01) I run sometimes! _

**(8:01) Aha, sure you do**

_ (9:02) I do! _

**(8:02) Moony, you spent the entirety of all gym classes at Hogwarts sat on a bench reading**

_ (9:02) The books were about sports, there was running  _

**(8:03) That doesn’t count????**

_ (9:03) Sure it does _

**(8:03) No??????**

**(8:03) No it most certainly does not??**

_ (9:05) Totally does, Prongs. Here now, bye _

**(8:06) YOU DID NOT JUST CALL ME PRONGS**

_ (9:06) Byeeeeeeeee _

**(8:06) Take it back.**

**(8:07) Remus**

**(8:07) Remus, take it back**

**(8:14) MOONY**

**(8:26) You’ll regret this.**

 

_ (10:40) Oh no, I’m shaking. _

**(9:41) There you are**

**(9:41) Take it back!**

_ (10:42) I will do no such thing. _

**(9:42) How dare you**

**(9:43) Even to suggest such a thing**

**(9:43) Have you SEEN his HAIR???**

_ (10:43) You’re right, you could never be him _

_ (10:44) His hair is much prettier than yours. _

**(9:44) You**

**(9:44) You take that back.**

**(9:45) You undo this damage.**

**(9:45) Un-say those words.**

_ (10:45) I’ve had dreams about that hair. _

**(9:46) Moony!!!!!**

**(9:46) You have not!**

**(9:47) And if you have they were nightmares about suffocation**

_ (10:47) Mmmm no, no, definitely not suffocation. _

**(9:48) One of those quick sand situations, then? Where you're stuck in it and you're trying to get free but you can't?**

_ (10:49) Nope, not that either. _

_ (10:49) It was a much much much much much more pleasant dream. _

**(9:50) Moonyyyyyyyyyyyy you're hurting my soul**

_ (10:50) It was me shaving it all off. _

**(9:51) Oh**

**(9:51) Well that sounds satisfying**

_ (10:52) You have no idea. _

**(9:52) Also, though, I'm definitely telling him**

_ (10:52) What, no _

_ (10:53) No! _

**(9:53) Oh yes, definitely**

_ (10:53) Doooooon’t _

**(9:54) But I have to, you made me all sad earlier**

_ (10:55) And this will make it better how? _

**(9:55) My soul cries for retribution**

_ (10:55) So you’re gonna break James’ heart? _

**(9:56) Ummmmm yup**

_ (10:56) What can I do to prevent this from happening? _

**(9:57) Hmmmm, I want 100 words on why I’m the best**

**(9:57) You may use the words “Hair” and “Prongs” only once**

_ (11:08) Sirius Black… How do I begin to explain why Sirius Black is the best? Sirius Black is flawless. I hear her hair’s insured for ten thousand pounds (Prongs’ is only for five). She studies what she loves… in London (far away, but that doesn’t stop her from being the most loving girlfriend ever). Her favourite movie changes every week (because she keeps discovering new things and being endearingly excited about them). One time she met Remus Lupin in school… and he told her she was pretty. One time she punched me in the face (with her mouth)... it was awesome.  _

**(10:10) I love you.**

**(10:10) And also find your ability to twist Mean Girls quotes oddly endearing**

_ (11:11) You taught me everything I know _

_ (11:11) And I love you too. _

**(10:11) Hurrymakeawish,it’seleveneleven**

_ (11:12) Loser _ _   
_ _ (11:12) Too late _

**(10:12) Ughhh you've failed me**

_ (11:13) You can make it up to you from me in 58 minutes. _

**(10:13) Oh I will**

_ (11:13) Loser _

**(10:14) Oi, watch your mouth, my boyfriend will kick your arse**

_ (11:14) Your boyfriend is a weak ass nerd _

**(10:15) :O**

**(10:15) Fight me**

_ (11:16) Come here and I will _

**(10:16) Maybe I will**

_ (11:16) Maybe you should _

**(10:17) Maybe I want to**

_ (11:17) Maybe I want you to  _

**(10:20) Maybe**

_ (11:21) Soon. _

**(10:21) Maybe soon**

_ (11:21) I love you I miss you I love you _

**(10:22) I love you. I miss you**

_ (11:24) Are you in class? _

**(10:25) Maybe.**

_ (11:25) Call me when you’re out? _

**(10:26) Definitely.**

_ (11:26) Love you _

**(10:27) I love you**

 

**[12:46 calling: Moony]**

 

_ “Hi.”  _

**“Goodness, I love that voice. Hi Moony!”**

_ “Hey, Padfoot. How was class?”  _

**“It was class. She went on and on about stuff I knew already. It was fine. How are you?”**

_ “Not good.” _

**“What's wrong?”**

_ “Nothing. Everything.” _

**“Can you tell me?”**

_ “Don’t think so. Not here, not with everyone- I’d just start- Can you just distract me with something else?” _

**“Sure thing. What are we doing for Halloween?”**

_ “Kissing.”  _

**“Oh. True. But what will we be wearing?”**

_ “Nothing.” _

**“Moonyyyyyyyyyyy… what will I be wearing BEFORE you take it off of me?”**

_ “Some sort of a costume, I assume.” _

**_“_ ** **Moony! You are the least helpful boyfriend!”.”**

_ “It’s not like you ever like my ideas anyway.” _

**“I love your ideas!”**

_ “Not for Halloween, you don’t.”  _

**“Won't know that until you tell me.”**

_ “Never once did we go as anything I suggested.” _

**“Maybe this year will be different.”**

_ “Just tell me what you want us to go as, Sirius, it’s fine.” _

**“Do you still have all our costumes from Rocky?”**

_ “Should be somewhere, yeah.”  _

**“Sooooooooo?”**

_ “Yeah, sure, we can do that again.”  _

**“I just thought something familiar. I dunno, we don't have to.”**

_ “We can, love, you know I loved you as Frank. Sorry I’m being cranky.” _

**“I miss you, cranky.”**

_ “I-I miss you too.”  _

**“Hey, Moons, okay. Breathe for me, yeah? Still can't say what's on your mind?”**

_ “Everything.”  _

**“That's a lot.”**

_ “I don’t know if I can do this.”  _

**“Do what?”**

_ “All of this.”  _

**“Why? Why would you think you can't?”**

_ “It’s too new and too lonely and too French and too hard.”  _

**“Oh, love… I know it's lonely, it's lonely here too and I hate it. It's only for a little bit. This is going to be over before you know it, and if it gets really bad, that's what transportation is for. The French is good, it's a different experience. I know it's a lot all at once. But it will get more familiar, I promise. And nothing is too hard for my Moony. You can do this, you can do anything you decide to. You're very stubborn like that.”**

_ “That’s not untrue.” _

**“I know what I'm talking about. I know you.”**

_ “Better than anyone.” _

**“So then trust me.”**

_ “I don’t want to go to the afternoon classes.” _

**“Don't. Give yourself a day. The rest of a day. Skipping is better than cracking under pressure.”**

_ “It’s barely been a week.”  _

**“Which is why I need you to take care of yourself.”**

_ “Okay.”  _

**“It's going to get easier.”**

_ “Yeah.”  _

**“It will. It has to.”**

_ “Tell me about you.”  _

**“I'm okay.”**

_ “Sirius.”  _

**“I am. I will be. I do believe it's going to get better. I miss you too. And everyone. Including Pete, which makes about zero sense, but everyone else being away makes him seem far away too when he's not** **_right here_ ** **.”**

_ “Want to skype again tonight?”  _

**“Can we maybe have dinner together?”**

_ “Depends, are you going to lecture me if mine’s takeout?”  _

**“If you order a vegetable with it I will pretend not to notice”.”**

_ “Deal.”  _

**“Wear something nice.”**

_ “Oooh is it really a date tonight? Do I also have to light candles? And act all nice and try to impress you? Will you try to get into my pants after?”  _

**“I may try to get into your pants during.”**

_ “Dare you to try.”  _

**“Why would you dare me, now I have to!”**

_ “You never have to.” _

**“Really really want to.”**

_ “Your left hand not as good as you remember?” _

**“Always does the same things, it's very boring.”**

_ “I’ve never found either of your hands boring.”  _

**“You're very not boring to touch.”**

_ “We’re so good at compliments. ‘You’re not boring’.”  _

**“Well then compliment me better.”**

_ “No, no, this is fine. Have I told you how moderately good looking I find you? On your good days, that is.” _

**“Moony!”**

_ “Your eyes remind me of a dusty pavement.” _

**“I’m hanging up on you.”**

_ “If hairs be wires, black wires grow on your head.” _

**“Stoooooooop.”**

_ “Okay, okay. Pouty.” _

**“Nice things.”**

_ “Talking to you is my favourite thing.” _

**“Mmm, that's better.”**

_ “Because it’s true.” _

**“I love you, you know.”**

_ “I know. I love you too.” _

**“You sound a bit more like you.”**

_ “I feel a bit more like me. Thank you.” _

**“You're very welcome. I'll see you tonight?”**

_ “Yes.” _

**“Okay.”**

_ “I love you.” _

**“I love you too.”**

_ “.” _

**“.”**

_ “I don’t want to hang up yet.” _

**“But I need you to do it first, I can't.”**

_ “Just give me another minute, just one more.” _

**“Good, you take one, I need like five.”**

_ “I need a hug.” _

**“I want to give you one so badly.”**

_ “Only yours would help.” _

**“I would give you the biggest hug right now.”**

_ “And the longest and the tightest?” _

**“And the warmest.”**

_ “Ughhhh.” _

**“Sorry.”**

_ “No. I just really miss you.” _

**“I really miss you too.”**

_ “We’re really spoiled, aren’t we?” _

**“We were.”**

_ “Yeah.” _

**“But we can do this.”**

_ “Oh, I know we can. It just sucks a bit. A lot.” _

**“Agreed. But when we see each other, that hug is going to be so amazing.”**

_ “The most amazing.” _

**“I can't wait.”**

_ “We should hang up.” _

**“Should we?”**

_ “You have to go to class.” _

**“...Oh yeah.”**

_ “I love you. See you later. Try to pay attention. I love you. I love you I love you I love you.” _

**“I will. I love you, too.”**

 

_ [14:14 call disconnected] _

  
  


**(17:31) I still miss you**

_ (18:32) I always miss you _

**(17:32) Class was boring, I didn't really pay attention**

_ (18:33) Well I didn’t even go, so I can’t really judge you today _

**(17:34) Like I live in fear of your judgement every other day**

_ (18:34) Not implying you do _

**(17:35) Good, because never**

_ (18:36) Akhem. March 9th, 4th year, one Mr Sirius O. Black, spotted /at the library/ refusing an invitation from one Mr James F. Potter to go jump in a lake in favour of writing an essay, his only listed reason being “I’m afraid Remus will judge me.” _

**(17:37) You're bringing up fourth year??!**

**(17:37) And we DID jump in the lake.**

**(17:37) Next day when I was finished with the essay.**

_ (18:38) Yes. I remember spending my birthday making tea for your frozen arses. _

**(17:38) Mmm, that was a good day**

_ (18:39) For you _

**(17:39) Yes. I spent that night in your bed, cuddled as close to you as was physically possible for warmth.**

_ (18:39) That part I remember very well. _

_ (18:39) And fondly _

**(17:40) Any excuse**

_ (18:40) God, we were idiots  _

**(17:41) Were not, we found pretty ingenious methods of being together before we actually got together**

_ (18:41) Ingenious, sure _

**(17:42) I think we were crafty**

_ (18:42) “Moony, can I sit in your lap all day, it’s for a dare.” _

**(17:44) “Sirius, your hair is a mess, bring me that comb.”**

_ (18:45) “Remus, my hair is a mess, here’s a comb.” _

**(17:46) “Lots of people shower together, it's to conserve water. Responsible environmentalism.”**

_ (18:47) That doesn’t count, that was after. _

**(17:48) We're still crafty**

_ (18:48) We’re still idiots _

**(17:49) Oi, I resent that**

_ (18:49) Cute idiots? _

**(17:49) Better**

**(17:50) We are pretty cute**

_ (18:51) Well, I am, at least  _

**(17:51) Ummmmmm????????**

_ (18:52) You’re okay _

**(17:52) UMMMMMMMMM ?????????**

_ (18:52) Like, average  _

**(17:53) How dare you??? I am NOT average**

_ (18:53) Not average height, no, definitely not, glad you finally admit it _

**(17:54) MOONY**

_ (18:54) Yes, love? _

**(17:55) Say I'm pretty**

_ (18:55) You’re pretty _

**(17:56) How pretty?**

_ (18:56) Very pretty _

**(17:57) Oh thanks.**

_ (18:58) Sirius, you’re the prettiest, and the cutest, and the hottest _

_ (18:58) The most handsome and the most beautiful  _

**(17:59) Nope, too late**

_ (18:59) Too late? _

**(18:00) Yup, too late, I've already let myself go.**

_ (19:00) Oh, alright _

**(18:01) Love me anyway?**

_ (19:01) Love you always _

**(18:02) Mmm okay**

_ (19:02) Still on for skype? _

**(18:03) Please, yes**

_ (19:03) Ten minutes? _

**(18:04) I'm already on when you get on**

_ (19:04) Perfect _

**(18:05) I am, rather**

_ (19:05) Yes. You are. _

**(18:08) You are too**

_ (19:08) Sure _

**(18:09) I get to see your perfect face in four minutes**

_ (19:09) One, I walked fast _

 

PADFOOT IS CALLING

 

ANSWERED WITH VIDEO CHAT

 

Remus didn’t panic this time when at first the video feed didn’t load quite right. He waited until Sirius’s face had become as clear as it seemed like it was going to get and smiled.

“Hi, Perfect Face!” Sirius sat very close to the screen, like he was going to try to dive through it at some point.

“Hi, Face I Can Tolerate,” Remus’s words were ruined by the involuntary grin he felt etch its way into his face.

“Moonmoon, this is a date, is that how you address your dates?” Sirius asked, feigning distress.

“Apparently it is,” Sirius stuck her tongue out at him.  He retaliated by blowing a kiss. 

Sirius brought the laptop into the kitchen and Remus watched her dance around the kitchen making herself stir-fry while he ordered takeout.

“You asked for a vegetable, yeah?” Sirius asked, pointing a wooden spoon at Remus, who was lying on his stomach on his bed.

“I did, I did. Steamed carrots.”

Sirius narrowed her eyes suspiciously and nodded in approval. “Okay. Good.”

“I mean, you never said I actually had to  _ eat _ it, though.”

“Moony!”

“So really, my work here is done.”

“Remus, no!”

Timing worked well enough that Remus’s food arrived at the building at just about the same time as Sirius was finished cooking, and they ate together.

“What were they talking about in the class you weren’t paying attention in?” Remus asked, fully aware that Sirius absorbed information when an instructor was speaking whether she wanted to or not.

“Nope, nope. This is a date. Tonight is not for discussing classes attended and unattended, or discussing homework, or the increasing pile of laundry I see behind you,” Remus turned around. He’d thought he had his dirty hamper out of the way of the camera shot, but it would seem he had not. “Tonight is about me trying to get into your pants.”

Remus blinked and looked down at his puffy jumper and takeout. “Um?”

“You  _ dared _ me, Moony!” Sirius accused.

“Alright,” Remus invited. “Go on, give me your best attempt.”

Sirius seemed to stumble, though she was sitting down at the table. “Er… Would you?”

“Would I?” Remus repeated.

“Would you take your pants off?” she asked with such polite innocence, Remus couldn’t help laughing.

“Is that your best?!” Remus asked.

“Well… I dunno! Okay, Plan B.”

Sirius stood up, and stepped back from the table, and turned around so that Remus had a clear view of the length of the back of her body while she removed her own clothing. Remus dropped a fork full of food into his own lap.

She sat back in front of the camera in only a t-shirt that was just a bit too long on her.

“Okay, your turn,” she demanded, arms folded over her chest.

Remus picked up the food and put it back in the container. “That was… convincing.”

“How convincing?” she smirked.

“So nearly convincing enough,” he laughed.

She pouted for only a moment before she found something better to talk about and they moved on. They ate and Remus watched her clean up.

“Hey, Moony?” she asked, bumping the dishwasher door closed with her hip.

“Yes?” he asked. This was normally the part where he’d pull her against him and kiss her nose or the top of her head, and they’d say sweet things and retreat to the privacy of her bedroom.

“Sleep with me?” she asked. At first, he thought she was continuing the dare from earlier, but there was honest vulnerability in her eyes with no hint of mischief behind them.

“Sleep-”

“Could we set the computers up in - or near - our beds, so we can see each other? And hear each other?”

Remus eyed the overflowing laundry hamper, which suddenly seemed like the perfect height for a laptop stand next to a bed that was probably to small for him and a laptop if he didn’t want to roll over and break it in the middle of the night. “Yes, please.”

They set themselves up - Remus on the laundry mountain, Sirius in the bed beside her - and changed into pyjamas.

They lied down and looked at each other. At their screens.

“Soon, right?” she asked.

“Very soon. We’re doing great,” Remus assured her, and himself.

“Oh, before you fall asleep,” Sirius said quickly, probably seeing Remus’s eyes begin to close. They felt heavy and dry.

“Hmm?”

“I win,” she smiled widely.

“You do?” he asked.

“Mhm, got you out of your pants, didn’t I?”

Remus kicked his leg out, covered with pyjama bottoms. He snorted. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Yeah, but I’m yours, so it’s all right,” she laughed sleepily.

“You are mine, there’s that.”

They never said good night. They said ‘I love you’ countless times, but eventually they just slipped easily into sleep.

  
  


THURSDAY

 

**(7:13) Good morning???**

_ (8:13) Oh hello, good morning _

**(7:14) Oh yay, first try**

_ (8:14) Been up for an hour. _

**(7:15) Oh**

**(7:15) No good morning**

_ (8:18) Sorry _

**(7:18) It's alright**

**(7:18) I mean is it?**

_ (8:19) Studying _

**(7:19) Ah, okay**

_ (8:19) Sorry _

**(7:20) No, don't be. I'll let you do that**

_ (8:20) I love you _

**(7:21) I love you too**

  
  


_ (11:27) I love you and thank you and I love you and thank you for everything you said yesterday and for supporting me always and I love you and this class was amazing and it finally felt really right that I’m here and I love you _

**(10:32) Moony that's fantastic, tell me everything!**

_ (11:35) We just spent two hours discussing books, and it was so much fun, and it wasn’t that ‘professor tells you what the author meant and any other interpretations aren’t valid’ bullshit, it was actual discussing and changing people’s minds and I think I understand more French than I thought, and when I didn’t know something people were nice about it, and we all have more classes now or we’d probably stay and talk for longer, and we have to write an essay by Tuesday which I’m really really excited about and the professor said I can turn it in in English, and it’s so warm and sunny and everything is wonderful and I wish you were here and I love you so damn much _

**(10:36) Oh, oh my, you're such an incredible nerd**

**(10:36) I love you, Nerd.**

_ (11:37) I love you too!! _

**(10:38) Say more nerdy things, Nerd who I love**

_ (11:39) I have to go to my next class _

_ (11:39) And I’ll enjoy it  _

**(10:40) Please do and tell me about it**

_ (11:40) I will I love you _

  
  


_ (13:22) A wonderful wonderful wonderful lecture  _

_ (13:23) I have sixteen pages of notes  _

**(12:25) There's my Moony**

**(12:25) Out of your mind**

_ (13:26) Shush, my mind is perfect _

**(12:27) Damn right it is**

_ (13:27) Tell me about you, I wanna know about you, tell me about your day _

**(12:28) Mostly in my classes I'm just waiting to be challenged, they're all boring. But my day is good**

_ (13:28) That, tell me that, tell me about the good parts  _

**(12:30) It's nice out, and for a while I was sitting under a tree because it made me feel closer to you. But without you there to make out with it got pretty boring, so I ditched that idea. Wound up walking around a bit. Thinking of mapping campus.**

_ (13:31) You should do it _

**(12:31) Won't be the same**

_ (13:32) I know, but it could still be fun _

_ (13:32) Or at least a good distraction and something to do when you’re bored in class _

**(12:33) Those are the main ideas. Yeah, I think I will try it.**

_ (13:33) Good.  _

**(12:34) If it's too much I'll stop**

_ (13:34) Good, don’t force anything that doesn’t feel good _

**(12:35) It's a good life motto**

_ (13:35) I’m having lunch with Emm, I’ll text you after? _

**(12:36) Enjoy**

_ (13:36) Love, are you alright? _

**(12:37) Yes**

**(12:37) I am, really, enjoy**

_ (13:37) Okay<3 _

 

_ (15:03) Is it possible that even fast food tastes better here? _

**(14:08) Maybe you're just hungrier**

_ (15:09) Hmmm maybe _

**(14:10) Oh! Or you're missing my deliciousness and so everything tastes good only by the comparison that I'm not there**

_ (15:10) That...doesn’t make any sense. _

**(14:11) Does to me!**

_ (15:11) I miss you and your ridiculousness  _

**(14:12) Well of course you do**

_ (15:12) Emm says hi _

**(14:14) Tell me more about Emm**

_ (15:16) Cheerful. Gets a new crush every five minutes. Asks questions like she really wants to hear the answers. Smart, the clever kind. Creative. Thinks you’re super pretty and I’m super lucky, and I couldn’t agree more. _

**(14:17) She sounds exactly the right kind of cute**

_ (15:17) You’ll love her _

**(14:18) I'm sure I will**

_ (15:18) You made any new architect friends yet? _

**(14:19) No one will talk to me.**

_ (15:19) What do you mean no one will talk to you _

**(14:20) I mean the classes are too big and anonymous and I tried talking to a few people. There was one girl who wasn’t so bad, but I asked her to lunch and she said she couldn’t, which was fine, but she hasn’t talked to me since either, and that was days ago.**

_ (15:21) I’m sure it’s gonna get better, love _

**(14:22) I know**

**(14:23) And I know I need to put myself out there more, I will. I don't usually have to think about it. Just adjusting to all this**

_ (15:23) Just remember how lovable you are _

**(14:24) I'm really really lovable**

_ (15:24) You are, you truly are. _

**(14:25) Thank you, Moony**

_ (15:25) Next class is starting, talk later? Thinking about you. _

**(14:26) Have fun, know everything. I'm thinking about you too**

 

_ (18:00) Break. I love you. I’m really enjoying today. _

**(17:02) Good, another good class?**

_ (18:03) Brilliant  _

**(17:03) Ahhh good!**

_ (18:03) Yessss _

 

**_(17:03) Sirius_ **

**_(17:03) Sirius._ **

**_(17:03) Sirius!!!!!_ **

**_(17:03) Padfoot_ **

**_(17:04) PADFOOT_ **

**(17:04) PRONGS**

**_(17:04) Guess who’s here_ **

**_(17:04) Guess who’s at this school_ **

**_(17:04) You’ll never guess_ **

**_(17:05) Guess_ **

**(17:05) Evans**

**_(17:05) WHAT THE FUCK_ **

**(17:05) Damn, we should’ve made a bet, that’d be such an easy win**

**_(17:06) WHAT THE FUCK SIRIUS HOW_ **

**(17:06) How what, Prongs?**

**_(17:06) You know damn well what_ **

**_(17:06) How did you know she was here_ **

**(17:07) Alice told us**

**_(17:07) Alice?????_ **

**(17:07) Fortescue**

**_(17:07) Yes, I know which Alice, Sirius, we have like three friends. Also, us?_ **

**(17:07) Well she told me, but I told Moony right away, so**

**_(17:08) Remus knew about this too?!_ **

**(17:08) Why would he not know something that I know?**

**_(17:08) Unbelievable._ **

**_(17:11) Well????_ **

**(17:11) Well what**

**_(17:11) Why didn’t you tell me??_ **

**(17:11) Isn’t it obvious?**

**_(17:12) NO_ **

**(17:12) We thought it’d be more exciting for you to find out in person.**

**_(17:12) More exciting._ **

**_(17:12) I made a complete fool out of myself, Padfoot._ **

**(17:13) Exactly!!**

**_(17:13) I hate you._ **

**(17:14) You love me, tell me everything.**

**_(17:14) I’ll be back in the dorm in five, I’ll skype you_ **

**(17:14) Excellent**

  
  


**(17:05) It happened!!!!**

_ (18:05) I’m gonna need a bit more information!!!! _

**(17:08) Prongs saw Evans**

_ (18:08) Oh!! _

_ (18:08) Was it a glorious disaster like we had hoped it would be? _

**(17:09) Still waiting for the details, but come on**

**(17:09) This is James**

**(17:09) Of course it was**

**(17:14) It was! He’s gonna skype me and give me the details, wanna join in?**

_ (18:15) Can’t, my break is just about to be over, have another hour of class. _

_ (18:15) But I expect to hear the whole story when I get out. _

**(17:15) Alright, have fun you nerd**

**(17:20) Okay, so**

**(17:21) He curtsied**

_ (18:21) Excuse me? _

**(17:22) He CURTSIED**

**(17:22) He panicked and he tried to say hi and he couldn’t remember how to wave so he C U R T S I E D**

**(17:23) And she said hi back all polite and friendly seemed to have been ignoring his weirdness. And they talked for awhile and caught up on the last year and then when she said she had to go he went to say goodbye and he hugged her arm**

**(17:24) Moony he HUGGED HER ARM**

**(17:24) AND THEN HE WENT TO WALK AWAY AND WALKED RIGHT INTO HER**

**(17:25) HOW DOES ONE EVEN**

**(17:25) He says he can’t remember a single word he said to her**

**(17:25) He’s in complete distress**

**(17:26) I’m consoling him**

**(17:26) But I don’t think I’m doing it right, I keep laughing a lot**

_ (18.27) Oh my god. Oh my god.  _

**(17:27) I know!!!**

_ (18:30) I left the class _

_ (18:30) I couldn’t stop myself from reading and then I couldn’t stop laughing _

_ (18:30) Oh that poor sod _

**(17:31) His face hasn't left his palms in six minutes**

_ (18:31) Beautiful. _

**(17:32) It really really is**

_ (18:32) I’ll be in the dorm in five minutes to join your call _ _   
_ _ (18:33) And text Peter, he deserves to see this too _

**(17:33) Oh, I will**

 

**(17:33) Pete Pete Pete Pete**

(17:34) Sirius Sirius Sirius Sirius

**(17:34) EVANS**

(17:34) WHAT ABOUT HER?

**(17:35) Prongs had an Encounter**

(17:35) When’s the funeral?

(17:35) I’ll have to borrow one of your suits again

(17:35) Are we each writing a eulogy or will we write one together?

**(17:36) We’d better write individual ones, I have a lot to say**

**(17:36) All about this singular event**

(17:36) What happened, tell me everything!!

**(17:37) Can you come here, I’m on skype with him and Moony is joining us any minute now as well, you have to see this**

(17:37) I really shouldn’t, I’ve got like seven applications to finish

**(17:37) Ughhh, fine, but get on skype for like ten minutes**

(17:38) That I can do

**(17:38) Excellent**

 

One by one each of the four black windows announcing a different screen name was replaced by the slowly rendering face of a Marauder. All except the top right of Remus’s screen, where he could only make out a dark, fuzzy mop of hair on a desk. James had his head down in a presumable shame. Sirius was beaming and failing weak attempts to hold back laughter and Peter couldn’t help but laugh along with him, even if he didn’t yet know what there was to laugh about.

Sirius re-told the entire story of James’s disastrous meeting with Lily Evans with even more dramatic flair than he’d been able to manage through text. Peter was a wonderful audience, and even James ended up lifting his head to see some of Sirius’s more noteworthy reenactments.

Through the entire ordeal, James never did more than groan and nod along to ensure that the others knew Sirius was not, in fact, taking creative liberties with the story, it truly had gone just that poorly. When it was finally over, he grasped at his hair and stared unseeing into his own keyboard.

“I just don’t know what I even could have done to stop myself,” he confessed, incredulous. “She was just  _ there _ , so suddenly, and oh my  _ god _ she was so beautiful. I think she’s gotten more beautiful since school. She looks happier, and she walks with so much confidence. And she smiled and she was so kind and I was such an idiot. I was the worst, worst idiot, guys.”

Remus found himself a little proud of his friend, that the ‘beautiful’ traits James had chosen to list were to do with her happiness and confidence, rather than the more visible, physical traits he used to wax poetry about when they were in school with her.  Remus felt this especially strongly when Peter asked if he was going to try to find her again and James’s response was, “well, I’m not just going to track her all across campus, that’s super creepy. I’m just hoping I do run into her again so that I can redeem myself.”

Sirius and James spent the next few minutes arguing over whether or not James was humanly capable of redeeming himself. Given the format, Peter and Remus couldn’t do what they usually did in circumstances like these, and converse amongst themselves until James and Sirius had run their course, but Peter gave his webcam a look that Remus knew was meant only for him. It felt a lot like normalcy, all of it. The other two finished their bickering and transitioned seamlessly into talking about school and all of James’s extracurriculars.

The conversation only dissipated an hour and twenty minutes later, when Peter decided to abandon his applications after all and meet Sirius near his place for chips.

“Fine, abandon me. I’m going to go drown in my sorrows and also a nice, long shower,” James sighed wistfully.

“Maybe I’ll actually get an essay done with the rest of my night, then,” Remus was only half joking.

They said their goodbyes in exceptionally good spirits.


End file.
